It's All About Us
by Feisu
Summary: Haruka has a twin brother and all is well between the two, until an arranged marriage and Michiru enter the picture. AU Haruka/Michiru FULLY REVISED
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

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**Prologue**

_Tokyo, 22 years ago_

The two blonde children were running towards the playground. They were dressed in navy shorts, white shirts and beige sandals. They were picture-perfect: not only were their looks mirrored, but so were their movements. To all they looked like they were fiercely racing each other; yet, to them it felt like they were carried by the wind. There were only two of them in the world at that moment in time and nothing else mattered.

"Want to place the bets on which one of them gets there first?" A young man in his late-twenties asked the friends he was walking with. He was tall and well-built, with charcoal black hair and deep blue eyes. His eyes were following the children with a sparkle of amusement.

"Only if you want to lose. It's pointless, they are not competing." The woman answered. She looked about the same age as the man, but was a complete opposite in her looks: her hair was long and blonde, her eyes dark brown.

"Could have fooled me. Look at them - what is it if not a competition?"

The other man chuckled. Much like his friend, he was tall and well-built, with light brown hair and dark green eyes. He looked at his wife before replying without any humor: "You really need to spend more time with my children, Kaito. There is nothing more important to them than each other. The moment we are witnessing is all about them. There is no "I" in that relationship, they will do anything for one another and neither will ever come out on top. It is all about "us", not "me" with those two. That will never change."

Now it was Kaito's time to chuckle. "That's an extremely deep analysis of the actions of three-year-olds. Only parents can be this sure of what their children will turn out to be like, taking an assessment at such a young age."

"We shall see. Of course, you would hope they do not disappoint us. After all, one of them will be your child-in-law in the future." The woman retorted.

"True. I wonder which one it will be." Kaito mused.

"Will it matter?"

"Not if they turn out the way you think they will."

The woman smiled. "So when will we know which one it is?"

"Well, I believe Mi-chan's sonogram is scheduled in two weeks. You and Riku will surely be the first to know." Kaito replied with a warm smile.

Nariko returned the smile. "That will certainly be appreciated."

"Will it matter?" It was Kaito's time to muse.

"Well, there is an age difference. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer for a girl to have an older spouse." Nariko smirked.

"I'm sure Mi-chan will share the sentiment. Traditions are really her cup of tea, not mine. I think that age will not matter, so long as they are happy together." Kaito replied.

"If you care so much about happiness, shouldn't you wait and see who your child loves before making commitments to marriage, not doing so before it is even born?" Riku replied in amusement. It was decided a long time ago between the two families that their children will bind them together in the future. The young couples were best friends and their companies complemented each other. Kaito and Miho came from a line of old money and tradition, while Riku and Nariko were in the process of expanding their business that they have started some time ago, after they graduated from college. Through sweat, blood and tears of the business world, the two young families kept together and decided that the best way for them to do so in the future would be to bind their families and businesses through marriage. All four knew that twenty years into the future their success or failure was unpredictable, but none of them wanted to lose what they had and the thought of a marriage made them even stronger.

"My marriage was arranged and I love Miho-chan. There is nothing that makes me doubt that our children will be able to love each other, or, at least, learn to do so. Look at the relationship our families have - how can they not follow our example?" Kaito replied thoughtfully.

"Well, I sure hope your child will feel that way."

A dark brow rose above a deep blue eye. "My child? Shouldn't you be more concerned with your child, Riku?"

"Nope. My children will always help each other out."

Kaito looked at Riku in bewilderment. "Let's just hope that the only thing they inherited is their father's eyes and not his arrogance."

The three smirked and watched as the twins simultaneously reached the swing set.

**ooo**

_Tokyo, 25 years ago_

Long blond clumps of wet hair clung to her face. She was panting heavily and obviously in a lot of pain. She dug her nails deeper into her husband's hand trying to keep her sanity. Riku kept looking at his wife with worry, trying not to show any signs of being in pain, since she was obviously suffering tenfold worse than he was. The door to the room opened and Kaito walked in with a petite woman with blue eyes and peculiar aqua hair. Both faces reflected the same worry.

Miho walked around the bed Nariko was crouched on. She looked at the blonde woman with concern and gently moved the hair off of her face. "Nariko-chan, how are you doing?"

Nariko tried to force a smile to her face. "Well… judging by… the timing… and the… intensity… she will be… an athlete… that will… win every… race." The sentence interrupted by her heavy breathing seemed to take a lot of her energy.

"She?" Kaito asked in amusement. "I thought you decided not to find out the baby's gender."

"Well, that didn't stop Nariko-chan here from assuming that she is going to have a daughter and picking a name out for her. Good thing she didn't go as far as painting the room pink. That would have been a disaster if we have a boy." Riku smiled gently at his wife, trying to take her mind off of the fact that she was in labor a month and a half too early.

"I can't... help it... if I... feel that way." Nariko cringed in pain as soon as she finished the sentence. She tried to change the position to relieve the agony, but nothing seemed to help. The nurse walked into the room. Quickly assessing the situation, she told them that she would be back in a few minutes with the doctor and asked that they would leave for the hallway at that point.

"It's time." She smiled encouragingly before shutting the door behind her.

The doctor came in shortly and the three worried friends found themselves in the hallway. The white walls and incandescent lights did nothing to lessen their worry.

"She will be fine. If there was something wrong the doctor would have told you." Kaito assured Riku.

"I know, I just can't help it. She's in so much pain. Just wait until you are in my shoes, I'm sure you will not feel any different from me, I just hope yours will be on schedule." Riku sighed and started pacing in front of the room.

Trying to borrow his earlier tactic of distraction, Miho probed: "What's the name, Riku-kun?"

"Uh?" Riku smiled thoughtfully. "Haruka…"

Eventually the door opened and revealed a tired-looking doctor. He looked at Riku and smiled. "Congratulations, Tenoh-san, you are a father of beautiful and healthy twins."

**ooo**

_Tokyo, 22 years ago_

"I told you you'd be this worried last time we were here, didn't I?"

"This is not the time to gloat, Riku." Kaito replied, annoyed, as he paced in the same hallway Riku has been pacing in some three years ago. He looked at the door, for the nth time, and sighed again. "Why is it taking so long?"

"Patience is a virtue." Riku replied.

"Yes, I remember exactly how much patience you had. This is not one of our virtues, my friend. If it was, we would not be making deals today that will take effect years into the future."

"Touché."

"Sorry I'm late, we ran into some traffic." Nariko approached them with a child hanging off of each of her hands. "How is she?"

"She's fine." Riku picked up one of the twins as he answered his wife's question. "She's been in there for a while, but everything is as it should be, so I'm sure we will see a beautiful baby-girl in no time." Riku smiled encouragingly at Kaito, who only sighed again.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse came out and announced that they may see the mother and the newborn. Kaito ran excitedly pass the Tenohs and into the room. He embraced his wife, glanced at the little bundle in her arms and kissed her passionately.

"Done with the first and on to the second already?" Riku smirked sarcastically.

The new parents, for once, completely ignored his sarcasm. Disappointed, Riku looked at the little girl resting in her mother's arms and then looked at the son he was holding. He smiled like only a loving father could. "There Haru, that little princess over there is your future wife." He kissed his child on the temple and hugged his wife and daughter.


	2. The Games We Play

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

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**Chapter 1**

**The Games We Play**

_Tokyo, present time_

The engine was revving as she finished another lap. _Only one to go._ She pressed the accelerator harder and tightened her grip. This feeling of freedom and speed - this was what she thrived for. This was what made her high, better than alcohol, better than sex, better than success. Nothing could compare to it. She came to the finish line and left the car unwillingly. _Back to reality._ She sighed, turning her face towards the direction of the wind. A shrill of the phone interrupted her musings.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"You know me - I'm the play girl." She smiled into the receiver.

"I love it when you smile like that._"_ A sincere and amused voice said over the phone.

"Like you can see me." She chuckled.

"I don't need to see you. I know you. This is your ecstasy. Besides, there are only few places in the world were you smile naturally and this is one of them._" _She sighed contently. He was right, there was no need to reply. "Sorry to kill your play mood, but you have to come to the office. The board wants us both present for the monthly update._"_

_Back to reality indeed._ "Okay… Do I have time to stop by home and take a shower?" She asked, already waving to the people around her and moving towards the exit out of the tracks.

"Uh… I would stop by the penthouse, don't waste time on going home. They seem pretty anxious."

"Well, then they should have thought about it earlier. I am not about to jump through hoops at their whim. Besides, they're always anxious." Now she was irritated. Her day went from pure pleasure to misery within minutes. And it was only ten o'clock! This was going to be a long one.

"Don't take it out on me, Ruka-chan. I'm just letting you know what they want. You know very well whose side I'm on." He replied simply.

"I know. I'm sorry, Haru. I have to stop by home to get something appropriate to wear. The penthouse has only your clothes, remember?" She felt a slight sting of regret. Her brother was not the board. He was suffering as much as she was, so she felt the need to explain her actions.

"Like that ever stopped you." He chuckled.

"Not when you're there." She replied, smiling.

"Point taken. Don't speed and I'll see you here after lunch."

"Yes, mother." She snorted into the receiver, while getting into her yellow Ferrari F430 Spider.

"Baka."

Starting the car, she dropped the phone on the passenger seat and lowered the top. Feeling the light breeze, she turned up the volume and pulled out in rhythm with the music. The wind picked up with her speed and she already felt better. Shortly, she reached the road along the ocean and felt the wind become slightly salty from the particles of water traveling the distance in the breeze. _Okay, so maybe it's not that bad of a day. Yet._ A drive always made her feel better.

She reached a small road and turned towards the ocean. The gates opened as she maneuvered her Spider through a curvy road leading to a beach house, hidden from the main road by a live privacy fence. The pure-white concrete rectangular building stood out against the blue curtain of the ocean and the sky. On the side facing the driveway, it had a screened wall by the entrance, covered by an overhanging terrace that wrapped around the perimeter of the building on the second floor. The side facing the ocean was completely made of a curtain wall, allowing breathtaking views from both floors. It was simple, yet tasteful and incredibly up to date.

Ruka got out of the car and entered the house. The first floor had an open plan; only a bathroom and a utility closet being separated from the rest. Just like the outside of the house, it was bright white, accented with stainless steel and natural wood. At the far right side, there was a small, but well-equipped kitchen, outfitted with the latest gadgets. Two parallel countertops provided plenty of work surfaces, while the cabinets lined underneath provided ample space for the kitchen necessities. To the right of the kitchen were the two enclosures: the bathroom and the utility closet. A dining table was set in front of the outer kitchen counter. Like all the furniture in the house, it was modern and simplistic, void of any unnecessary lines or colors.

The rest of the floor served as a living room. There was a fireplace on the far left wall, sharing it with a big LCD screen. White leather couches were set in the most accommodating way to enjoy both, the fireplace and the television. A stainless steel staircase somewhat separated a line of sight almost a third of a way through the length of the house, closer to the kitchen. A baby grand piano occupied the space in between the staircase and the living room. It was set facing the curtain wall and providing spectacular view of the ocean to the person playing.

The second floor housed three bedrooms. A master suite above the kitchen to the right and two bedrooms with a shared bathroom above the living room to the left. Opposite the top of the staircase double doors let outside to the terrace that wrapped around the perimeter of the house.

It was not much, given who they were, but it was their home, it was exactly what they wanted, the way they wanted it to be. They have lived here since they entered college eight years ago. At first, it was their getaway from their parents. Not that they minded their parents, quite the opposite, they loved and respected their parents. Which was exactly why they wanted their space; they did not want their parents to get their hair prematurely gray. With time, they realized that they could have their space at any of the company-owned penthouses, one of which they occupied permanently when in town, but this house became their home. It was truly their lair, where they could hide from the world. They never had to hide from each other.

Ruka walked upstairs and went straight into her bedroom. They decided when they first moved in that Haru would occupy the master sweet, while Ruka would occupy one of the connected bedrooms. This was one of the few times when Haru truly played his "big brother" card, not that she minded, so long as she got the view she was fine. Besides, he deserved it for all the big brotherly work he had done at the company over the years, allowing her to be the "play girl" and come and go at her will.

At this particular moment in time, however, the play girl was called off of her playground and was being forced into the world of adulthood. She took a quick shower and went into the closet. She picked a black pant suit with a barely noticeable white stripe and a white dress shirt. She looked at herself in the mirror as she got dressed. Looking back at her was a tall, lean, but muscular, blonde with deep dark emerald eyes. Her facial features had a peculiar mixture of femininity and masculinity at the same time. It would be beautiful belonging to either a male or a female. Which was a relief, seeing how her brother was her identical twin and any other features would simply not do.

She sighed as she finished dressing. Wearing suits was very ordinary for her, especially to work. Those that showed off her femininity was not. She only did it when she was in the company of her brother. Which, considering that they both had a habit of avoiding the office (her much more so than him), was not as often as one would think. She sighed again as she looked in the mirror for the last time. Her hair was a mess, but that's nothing new, and makeup was only useful on rare occasions. She left the house and got back on the road.

**ooo**

"Where is she?" A middle-aged bulky man asked in annoyance.

"If you wanted her to be here on time, Ogawa-san, you should have given her appropriate notice. You know her life does not revolve around this board." Haru responded in monotone.

"Yes, we all know what her life revolves around, and it surely isn't anywhere near here." Ogawa snorted.

"I will take that as being meant with all the respect my daughter deserves and not in any other way, Ogawa, pretending that I did not hear the snort." Riku walked into the boardroom and looked sternly at the board member.

"Of course, chairman-san." Ogawa swallowed hard and busied himself with the papers in front of him.

Riku looked at his son and raised a brow. Understanding the question without words, Haru answered: "I thought we would start the meeting right after lunch."

Riku nodded and took a seat at the head of the table. All other board members were already present, the only chair remaining empty was Ruka's. Ten minutes later the door opened and the blonde leisurely walked in, not a care in the world on her face or in her stance.

"Good afternoon everybody. Father, brother." She bowed slightly as she greeted the last two, smirking at her brother. "Shall we?" She took the last seat and the meeting began promptly.

**ooo**

Four hours later the door to the boardroom opened and the siblings emerged. They both looked tired, one of them looking a bit more bored than the other. Though they both had the same educational background and understood things equally well, there was no need for both of them to be in the office. They knew that they would have to step into their parents' role as the CEOs one day, but it was enough for one of them to have a constant presence and the other to be in touch with what was going on. Only the two of them knew how in touch they both were.

It was accepted within their circles that Haru was a serious, responsible and business-oriented man, while his sister was anything but. Haru was proper, controlled, unless provoked, and respectful. Haruka, on the other hand, was the center of a party scene, a racer (a fact that took some time to sink into many people's minds, until they wrote it off as one of her eccentric lifestyle characteristics), and could care less about the corporate world. And boy, did she have a temper! She did not need to be provoked.

People within their circles thought they had them all figured out. They could not have been any more wrong than that. No one had the twins figured out. No one, but their parents. The older Tenohs were the only people that figured out that for the twins, it was all about them, and they would bend the world their way, just to make it the way they wanted it to be. Even so, their parents did not always know or, perhaps, chose not to know which game the twins were playing at what time. They knew what their children were viewed as, which was what made them aware that they were playing games in the first place, because the older Tenohs knew that their children were like two tears running down a mother's cheek - identical in every way, but one.

"So, any plans for tonight?" Haru asked, walking into his office.

"You have something in mind?" Haruka followed him in.

"Not really. It is a Friday, though, any interest in visiting the party scene?"

Haruka raised a brow. "Feeling lonely, Haru?"

"It's been a while since I had any prospects. It was so much easier back in college. I miss the 'double-trouble'." Haru sighed, memories fogging his view. Him and Haruka have always been able to be the center of attention with girls; and they were never in competition, which was the best part. Perhaps because they were of different sexes and the problem took care of itself based on their prospects' preference. Or perhaps because they knew that they would never put the other to a second place after a girl. To each other, they were always first.

"Just wait until mother starts looking for a wife for you, then you'll have all the prospects in the world paraded in front of you." Ruka chuckled.

"Just like she did when she was trying to find you a husband?" Haru retorted.

Haruka grimaced. She remembered how a few years ago, during college, their mother all of a sudden decided that it was a good time for her daughter to settle down. What that meant was a constant flow of "dates" and innocent "run-ins" with every eligible bachelor of good standing that Nariko hand-picked for her daughter. Haruka was shocked at her mother's forwardness at first, not expecting such a pressure and so soon, but decided to comply, in order to please her mother. The only explanation she ever got was something about the "appropriate age difference in a married couple." She laughed at that one with Haru, in the privacy of their beach house. Like having an appropriate age difference was her mother's biggest problem with Haruka's prospects of marriage.

Truth be told, it was Haruka's fault for not telling her parents then and there and going along with their wishes, but she felt that she was not ready. Eventually, her parents decided that it would be okay to let their daughter find love all on her own and left her alone. Love was not something Haruka was looking for, she already had a person she loved more than herself - her brother. What she was occasionally looking for were lovers, not loves.

"Well, she has a better chance with you, since we're at least all on the same page about your sexual orientation. Thank god. Can you imagine what they would do if both of their children turned out gay?" Her grimace turned into a mischievous smirk.

"No, but I'm sure we will be able to make a good assessment once they find out about you…" Haru replied with the same smirk.

"Find out what, Ruka-chan?"

Haruka turned around, startled by her father's voice. "Oh, Father!" She gulped, trying to find a quick and believable response to his question.

"Ruka-chan here has been spending her days at the tracks instead of the office." Haru offered nonchalantly.

"That's nothing new." Riku responded. He walked over to one of the chairs in front of Haru's desk and sat down.

_Well, duh, I've been doing this for years. Good job Haru! _She looked at her brother with chagrin.

"Why don't you kids take a seat? I want to talk to you." Riku made himself comfortable.

Both Haru and Haruka took seats, both looking at their father and wondering what conversation topic could possibly make him so serious.

"I'm going out of the country for a week, I'm leaving tomorrow morning." Riku started nonchalantly. Twins' brows furrowed as the meaning was still lost on them. Their father often left the country for business trips, but he usually mentioned it in passing, never calling a "family meeting" to discuss his upcoming trip.

Seeing the expressions on his children's faces, he continued. "I will be visiting old friends of ours and helping them move back to Japan. They have been living in Europe for the past four years and are finally coming back home."

"Are you talking about the Kaiohs?" Haru probed, still not getting where his father's serious look was coming from.

"I am. I will help them close up the business matters in Italy and they will be on their way back."

"Okay. That will be good for the companies, having Tenoh Group and Kaioh Group side by side." Haru replied slowly.

"Yes, it will, just like the old times." Riku's gaze softened for a bit as he remembered the past. "But that's not all. Once the family is back in town, we're intending to go through some reorganization to further benefit both of our companies." Riku was careful to use only vague terms for his plans, it was so easy to make them back in the day. Following through with those plans and telling his children was a whole different story. He was not ready for it. He needed his friend at his side, to prepare him for the moment of revelation. He looked at his son. "We will discuss the details of the merger when I get back. I just wanted you to morally prepare yourself for some work that will have to be done."

Not knowing what to say at the moment, the twins simply nodded.

**ooo**

The weekend came and went. Friday night was wasted, since neither sibling wanted to go out after the conversation with their father, so they simply took refuge in the beach house. The rest of the weekend was relaxed and uneventful. The work week began with a list of things that had to be done before the merger, left with them by their father, so both twins went to the office for the first half of the week. That was as long as both of them could last in the office at the same time. Amongst all the benefits of having another person in the world that thinks the way you do, working in the same office may not be one of them. So on Friday, only one of them showed up at the executive floor of the Tenoh Group, while the other drove to the tracks.

Having not been advised of the upcoming changes and learning about it through the commotion of gathering documents and information, the board members were quite furious that morning, which matched the mood of the younger Tenoh perfectly. The day was forecasted as a disaster by all employees outside of the boardroom.

"I want an emergency board meeting and I want it within the hour!" Ogawa raised his voice at the young vice president in the office as he came through the door.

Annoyed green eyes looked up at him. "Very well then. You can have it; and within the hour you can preside over it, while you're at it."

"Today is not the day for your retorts, Tenoh-san. We have been left in the dark and we have a right to know. We want you and your family present to give us an explanation." Ogawa was starting to breathe heavily in anger, which was not at all surprising with his complexion.

The blonde straightened in the chair. "One. You may have a board meeting on Monday, when my father is back, since, I don't think there is any way for him to get here within the hour, no matter who you yell at." A pen was thrown on top of some papers on the desk. "Two. We have no obligation to give you an explanation, nor would I want to, even if we did have that obligation." A chair was roughly moved out of the way as the blonde stood up. "And three. Get out of my office and don't you dare ever come back here raising your voice again!"

Ogawa stumbled out of the office fuming. He tried to quickly regain his composure as he faced cold brown eyes of a tall blonde woman standing outside of her office, located opposite to the one he was just "asked" to leave. He bowed to her. "Tenoh-san."

"Ogawa-san." She replied coldly. "Please inform the board members that we will hold an emergency board meeting in two hours." With that, she walked past him into her son's office.

"Mother," the blonde bowed slightly, as the older blonde closed the door shut behind her.

"Good morning to you too, Haru-chan." She looked at him sternly.

"Good morning, mother." Was the quiet response.

Nariko walked closer to the table. "I understand that you have my temper and that most times it is appropriate to use it, but this is truly not one of them." She sat down in one of the chairs as she spoke in an even tone. "The board has a right to be questioning our actions, your father should have spoken to them before he left. Unfortunately, in his absence, I will have to do that." A slight shadow of concern appeared on her face and was gone in a second.

"Now. I want you to call your sister and get her here within an hour." She continued.

Green eyes shot to the brown ones. "You know it is impossible to contact a person inside a racing car. There is no phone there."

"Call the tracks and tell them to signal her to make her stop." Nariko replied calmly.

"Even if that works, there is no way to get here within an hour… Besides, you said that the board meeting will be in two hours."

"What I said to Ogawa is of no concern to you. What you should be concerned with is what I am telling you." She followed her words with a finger pointed at her child's chest.

"Okay, there is still no way to get here in an hour."

"I have seen your sister get here faster than an hour, should not be a problem now, should it?" She was starting to lose that temper she mentioned before.

"Yeah that's the problem." The blonde mumbled under her nose. "I will call the tracks and tell them to let her know to get here as soon as possible, but it may be a bit more than an hour."

Nariko squinted her eyes and looked at the blonde. Since when did her son started going through such lengths of avoiding an action, rather than picking up the phone and making his sister come?

This time her voice resembled a growl, so unlike her usual, even tone. "Ha-ru-ka!"

"Yes, mother?" The blonde whispered.

"Get your brother here within the hour or you both will regret it!" She got up from the chair and went for the door. Once she put her hand on the door knob, but before turning it, she faced her daughter again and asked in a low voice: "Exactly how often do you two do this?"

"You don't want to know." The blonde responded evenly, before hurriedly picking up her phone and dialing the number for the tracks.

**ooo**

The yellow Spider pulled into the underground garage an hour and a half later. Haruka separated herself from the wall and moved into her brother's view. He looked at her grim face and braced himself for the worst.

"She knows."

"She knows what?" Judging by her face, Haru assumed that something truly shocking has happened. _Did she find out? Did she not take it well?_ He looked at his sister questioningly.

"She figured our game out." Haruka's face was so sad, Haru almost laughed at her answer; instead, he let out a sigh of relief.

"They were going to figure out sooner or later. Took them long enough as it is." He looked at her again and it dawned on him. "You're upset because you can't play the game anymore? What are you, three?"

Haruka looked at him annoyed. "No, I'm upset because mother caught us in a lie!"

Now he did laugh. "Right. Because you have never been caught before and you have always cared so much about it."

Haruka pouted. "Well, the board members don't know. Maybe we can keep it within the family." A light of hope shone in her eyes.

"Goodness, you are like a three-year-old. Ruka-chan, we will find you another game where you can make the whole world wind itself around your finger without ever knowing it." He half-hugged his sister and pushed her towards the elevator. "Now, let's not make Okaa-san any madder than she already is."

**ooo**

Nariko was sitting at the head of the table. Her children were on both of her sides, with the rest of the members filling the length of the table. She looked out at the cityscape again, bracing herself for what was to come and wishing that her husband was here, or that, at least, her children could find out another way. But, it was their fault in the end, so they will pay the price. She wanted to let them know before the meeting and give them some time to digest the news, but they were the ones who put themselves in the position of not being here on time. She sighed. _I hope I will still have children after this one._

"It may have come to your attention during this past week that we are preparing for certain changes within our company." She looked around the table, gauging the reaction of the board members. Some still showed the remainder of annoyance, others were listening intently, catching onto her every word.

"It was our intention to let you know the details on Monday, when my husband returns, and after we had an opportunity to speak with our children first." She paused, to make sure that her next words were not missed. "Due to your eagerness and brash tactics, I have no choice but to let you in on the preliminary plans for the reorganization." She gauged the table again. Some showed embarrassment, some were indifferent, and Ogawa stared at the table, not meeting her gaze.

"In the coming months Tenoh Group and Kaioh Group will go through a merger." Now she got their attention. It was no secret to anybody that Kaioh Group was a family-held corporation and that strangers were never put in high offices. No business in the Kaioh line has ever merged with another, not through a business agreement that is.

"It is common knowledge that Kaioh Group is a family-held corporation that does not let outsiders in. We intend to keep with this tradition and marry into the corporation instead." Both blondes turned their necks to their mother so fast that they could have twisted them. Both had the same shocked expression.

"Haru will marry Kaioh's oldest daughter, Kaioh Michiru."


	3. When Fate is in a Party Mood

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

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**Chapter 2**

**When Fate Is in a Party Mood**

The wind was ruffling their hair, playing with the sand-colored strands as they flew towards the beach house in Haruka's yellow Spider. The picture was not new, nor was it unusual, but for the somber expression on their faces. Speed and the wind usually calmed them down, brought some peace and solitude to their souls. Not today.

"I guess you were right when you said that mother will be more successful with finding me a wife." Haru said in an expressionless voice. "Who knew you were a psychic."

Haruka snorted. "Hey, if she used that method with me, I would have been married with three kids by now."

It was Haru's time to snort. "Yeah, I can really picture that happening. My Ruka-chan, a devoted wife and mother."

She turned to look at him for a moment. Surprisingly, even to her, those words brought a sting of hurt. "What's wrong with that? I can be a wonderful mother!"

Haru looked at her face with a light shadow of hurt and regretted his words. "That's not what I meant, Ruka-chan. You will be a wonderful mother, if you choose to. It's the 'devoted wife' part that doesn't suit you. Not to a man anyway."

Her lips rose slightly at the corner.

"Besides, if mother ever did that to you, you would bring a girl home the next day and put her in mother's face, for the lack of words that you have been experiencing for the last few years."

Haruka thought about it for a moment. "You know, you could do that too."

"No, I can't. I don't have a girl, remember?"

"Well, that can be solved within a matter of hours." A trace of evil appeared in her emerald eyes.

"That will not solve anything, Ruka." He chuckled, already seeing the wheels in his sister's head turning at a new game she was about to plot.

"Besides, there is more to it than that. I have responsibilities, and they are right, the merger would be most beneficial to us all." He turned to face the road again. "I just wish I was not the instrument they decided to use for it."

"Oh, look at how good of an onii-san you are, taking care of the family responsibilities." She could not help it, but have a metal taste of irony in her mouth. She was always under the impression that their parents were less traditional and more progressive with their views on life and marriage. It was worrisome to her that her parents could arrange a marriage out of nowhere. What would they do with her? How would they react to her true self? And would she be able to be the responsible loving child their son was in that instance? She was not so sure.

"What about love?" She asked evenly.

"Love?" He looked at her again. Her face was expressionless, but he knew what her worries were.

"I already have love, Ruka-chan." He smiled at her for the first time since they stormed out of the boardroom half an hour ago. "I'm lucky enough to have that one person in the world, and that person is you. Whatever comes from this marriage, whether we will grow to mutually respect each other, be friends, or lovers, you will help me through it, because the bond that we have is stronger than any other in life, right?"

"You bet." She smiled back at him. She was not convinced, though. She knew that the bond they shared has always helped them and always would, but lately she started to wonder if there was other kind of love they would be missing on because they held on to their bond too tight. The kind of love that their parents shared. A companionship of body and soul that transcended through time. No matter how much the twins loved each other, she knew it was different. Would it always be enough?

She shook her head to get rid of the over-analytical thoughts before they could reach her heart and start something she was not ready to deal with.

"Well, at least I know what we're doing tonight!" She winked at her brother.

"Haven't you heard, Ruka-chan, I'm engaged!" Haru laughed at her.

"Not until you meet your fiancée on Sunday, you're not." She turned into the driveway. "So, where would you like to celebrate your last free Friday?"

**ooo**

Techno music bounced from the loud speakers. Glistening bodies moved in close proximity in rhythm with the latest track. Three floors provided observation decks overlooking the dance floor. The laser show around the disco ball at the center of the club was complimented by the blinking lights that created effect of slow-motion picture.

What some observed was a breathtaking coupe in the middle of the dance floor. The man was wearing black slacks and a white fitted shirt that was untucked and unbuttoned at the top. The simple outfit that clung to his well-built body only added to his natural attraction. He did not come in unnoticed. His companion matched him perfectly. She was wearing over-the-knee high black leather stiletto boots, short black skirt that was cut on one side, revealing a line of her black underwear, and a tight white shirt that allowed for her black bra to be seen in the right lighting as it clung to her wet body. Her hair was spiked in the back and fell messily into her eyes in the front. The makeup accentuated her beautiful features in a sultry sexual look. Their movements were flawless, as though they were born in tune with each other.

"You really outdid yourself tonight, you know?" Haru whispered in his sister's ear.

"I'm not intending to compete with you tonight, it's your night." She answered, dipping her head back to his shoulder, so that he could hear her. "I'm just here to make them mesmerized by you, not that you need any help with that, but you would be sitting by the bar if I didn't drag you out here." She smiled.

"Point taken." He smiled back. "About that bar. Want another one?" He looked at the empty glass in her right hand.

"Please. Oh, and do take your time getting it to me while you get eaten up alive by that crowd of girls staring at us." She laughed evilly.

"I'm not sure if they're staring at you or at me." He replied with amusement.

"Only one way to find out." She turned around to face him and pushed him in the direction of the bar, putting the empty glass in his hand.

Haru obliged and made his way towards the said bar. He forced his way through the throng of people and reached the counter.

"Two mojitos." He motioned to the bartender, setting the empty glasses down.

"So, are you here alone?" A brunette stepped away from a group of people, pretending that she did not just follow Haru's departure from the middle of the dance floor with her eyes.

Haru looked at her and smirked. It always worked. His sister was the devil incarnate. He knew that he was good-enough looking to get any girl he sat his eyes on, especially with that disarming smile the twins shared, but what his sister did was make the girls come to him. It was the air of competition that teased women when the two of them were together. If he was good enough to be with somebody as beautiful as she, then he must be good. Besides, the grass is always greener on the other side. He smiled and started a conversation with the girl.

Haruka glanced at them from the dance floor and smiled. It always worked. She turned around and joined a group of people dancing.

Eventually Haru made his way back to his sister.

"I see you already got your drink." He nodded his head at the glass in her hand.

"Well, I couldn't wait for you to get back here forever. Besides, there are a lot of eager people that would do that for me, once I bat my eyelashes." She smiled evilly.

Haru chuckled. "I have no doubt about that, sis." He looked at her rougher movements. "And how many of those have you had at this point, love?"

She looked at him innocently. "I didn't count."

"I thought I was supposed to drown my sorrow, not you. You're not the one getting married." He told her accusingly.

"Can't help it if I'm hurting at the prospect of losing my other half." She replied, pouting.

"Oh, a new excuse, and a good one." Haru replied. "Give me your keys."

"There is no need to take my car away. I will not drive it anyway, I'm not three." Haruka stopped dancing altogether.

"You are three, or at least you act like it lately. And I'm not taking your car away, I'm taking the brunette to the penthouse." Haru winked at her.

"Fine. Leave me here and let me figure my own way back home." She smashed the keys in his open palm.

"Ruka-chan, I seriously doubt you'll be coming home tonight." He looked at her in assessment. "And, judging by the fact that we have only been here for a couple of hours, I would say that you will not make it far from the club. I'll call you tomorrow so that you can tell me where to pick up the pieces of you."

"Whatever. Enjoy your last easy hook-up." She gave him another glance, took the full drink from his hand and turned back to the dance floor.

**ooo**

"What's your name?"

She focused her attention on a brunette girl she was dancing in close proximity with at the moment. Tonight seemed to be a brunette night for both of them.

"Will it matter tomorrow?" She asked, inching yet closer to her dance partner.

The other girl raised a brow. "Probably not." She accepted the closer movement and accommodated it by repositioning her body around the taller girl. "Did your boyfriend leave you here alone?"

Haruka laughed out loud. This was a first. So she has been watching her for a few hours now, seeing how Haru left quite a while ago.

"Does it matter?"

"Do you always answer a question with a questions?" The girl asked.

"No." With that, Haruka eliminated the remainder of the space between the two of them and kissed her dance partner hard on the lips.

Both were out of breath when they finally parted. Their bodies were no longer able to keep up with the rhythm of the track. The girl looked at Haruka for a fleeting moment and covered her lips with her own in another hungry kiss. This time, they started moving off of the dance floor without parting. When they reached one of the walls of the club, the brunette pulled apart from the blonde, whose lips automatically slid down to her throat.

"I'm staying at a hotel next door." She whispered through the exciting sensation blonde's lips were sending through her body.

The blonde did not respond. She simply started pushing the brunette towards the exit. They reached the lobby of the hotel some moments later, their bodies still not separated by much. Neither seemed to care about who saw them or what they thought. The elevator doors opened and the two tumbled inside. The brunette pushed Haruka into the wall of the elevator, her hands traveling all over her body. Haruka returned the sentiment by letting her own hands roam. Her booted leg wrapped around the smaller woman's leg, forcing her even closer, if that was possible.

The elevator doors opened and a young woman gasped at the sight. Dark green eyes sparkled at her with danger and a hoarse voice lowly said: "Take the next one."

The young woman nodded and let the doors close. The elevator finally reached their destination and the two made it to the room. The door behind them closed and their grip on each other only intensified.

**ooo**

She opened one of her eyes and grunted. This did not feel like her bed. Nor did it feel like morning. She turned her head and found a neon-lit face of the clock.

5:24AM. She sighed and put her head back on the pillow. _Shit, the hangover is still coming._ She grunted again and closed her eyes, trying to remember where she was. The events of the night since her brother left the club flashed behind her eyelashes as a collage of random shots taken in slow motion, similar to that of the effect of lights on the dance floor.

She was dancing with random people on the floor. She was drinking. She was dancing again. A girl asked her her name. Her tongue was down that girl's throat in the middle of the dance floor. The elevator ride. The deep blue eyes of the woman looking at them when the doors opened. Her being pushed inside a room. Bodies entwined on the walls of the entrance hall. Clothes being urgently removed. Caresses and kisses on hot bodies. The coolness of the bed sheets. The hotness of the tongue sliding through her body and her own, sliding up and down a smaller body. Ecstasy.

She opened her eyes. The brunette. She was in brunette's hotel room. Where was the brunette at this ungodly hour? Not that it should matter, it was a perfect time to escape, just like she always did. Keep the nice memories of the night and spare themselves from the morning scene.

She pulled the sheets aside gently and got up quietly. She saw the door to the suite in the right hand corner, her clothes scattered like a path to her way out. It was perfect, she could make her escape without any unnecessary scavenging. She gently put her feet on the floor and moved towards the first garment… and that's when she saw her.

The girl was standing by the window, looking at the skyline of the city that was still under the cover of sleep. She was deep in her thought and did not seem to notice Haruka's movements. She was wearing a short black silk robe that barely covered her thighs, and she was definitely not a brunette. Haruka turned her head and searched the room with her eyes until she saw what she was looking for - a wig was carelessly thrown on a nightstand.

Haruka looked back at the girl standing by the window. The lights from outside traced her shapely figure, making the sight breathtaking. Caught in the moment of that beauty, Haruka did what she has never done before - instead of escaping, she quietly approached the girl.

She put her hands on her thighs, right where the robe ended. Simultaneously, her lips found the spot between the tender neck and shoulder. She kissed that spot with her open mouth, while tightening her grip and raising her hands to the smaller woman's buttocks, caressing her and pulling her against her own body at the same time.

The smaller girl's body tightened at the first touch, a reaction to the unexpected caress. In a second it was gone and her body relaxed into Haruka's.

"And here I thought I stole that man's girlfriend's celibacy." She whispered closing her eyes.

Haruka chuckled into the neck she was kissing. Her tongue made it to an earlobe. She licked it slowly before whispering in the other woman's ear. "Did I look celibate to you a few hours ago?"

The smaller woman smiled mischievously and turned around to face the blonde, a slight trace of blush in her beautiful cheekbones. "Not in the slightest."

"Well, then we have nothing to worry about, do we?" The blonde replied, already finding another spot to devour on the collarbone, while moving her hands up from the buttocks, ever so slowly. One of her hands reached the end of tangled aquamarine hair and pulled on it slightly, raising the younger woman's face at a comfortable angle. She covered her lips with her own hungrily, fighting for the access to the depths of her mouth. The access was granted shortly with a soft moan.

Haruka parted the useless robe with her free hand and let her hand slide to one of the white mounds. She caressed the chest, while tangling the other hand deeper into the hair, causing another moan to escape from the lips underneath hers. Her thumb found a nipple and a bolt of electricity shot through her own body, settling at the bottom of her stomach, as she lost herself in that woman for the second time that night.


	4. The Sentencing

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**The Sentencing**

Judging by the throbbing in her head, the hangover finally manifested itself. She opened one eye and looked straight at the clock, knowing exactly where to find it.

8:53AM. Well, at least she got a bit over an hour of sleep. She opened her other eye and looked at the woman curled around her. Her aquamarine hair was scattered all over the pillow she was not using, since her head was nested on Haruka's chest. Haruka's eyes travelled over the alabaster skin, high cheekbones, crimson lips. She was beautiful and so content in her sleep. Like and angel.

_A fallen angel more like it._ Haruka broke her own line of thought, remembering the lovemaking they both endured throughout the night. There were few women that drove her that crazy, the passion was simply unbearable. Perhaps it was not the woman, perhaps it was the amount of alcohol she had consumed. Yes. That was it. The alcohol. That was the reason why she stayed for the second round against her own rules, against reason.

_Keep kidding yourself. _She sighed and looked at the sleeping beauty once again. She could make up excuses for herself forever, but she knew what her brother would say to her if she voiced her thoughts to him: "Keep kidding yourself." So there was no point in denying the truth. The woman was beautiful, the woman was agonizingly sexy, and she was the best Haruka has ever had in bed. Well, technically the smaller girl had her in her bed, but that was besides the point.

She sighed again and carefully shifted the girl off of herself, allowing her to escape like she should have the first time she woke up. She quietly got up, made her way to the door, while picking up her clothes and putting them on, and welcomed the morning after with a scowl.

**ooo**

Haru looked at the stiff figure of his sister sitting at a corner table outside the café. Her clothes looked out of place in the morning sun, her posture even more inappropriate for the clothes she was wearing. The thought that she may have forgotten that she was wearing a skirt and not pants crossed his mind, until he brushed it off as out of character. She simply did not care.

She was sitting in a chair with her back to the wall of the café, her right foot on the ground and her left foot resting at the edge of another chair, her knee bent. Her left arm was on top of her knee, the hand holding a half-empty cup of espresso. Her other arm rested at her side, her back against the chair, the back of her head against the wall, and her eyes closed. She opened them and saw a man looking her way. She scowled and he hurriedly turned back to his coffee.

Haru braced himself for what he saw coming ever since he found her on the dance floor the night before and moved to the empty chair at her table. He sat down and smiled at his sister.

"Morning sunshine."

She shifted her eyes from the man that was staring at her minutes ago to her brother, not bothering to wipe the scowl off of her face.

"Do I look like freaking sunshine to you?"

"No, I'm just ignoring your current state and picturing you a few hours ago when you were enjoying yourself and your hangover did not kick in yet." He replied with a smirk.

"Pervert." She closed her eyes again.

"Eww, you know what I meant. I said you, I was picturing you, not what you were doing." He shrugged the picture off. That was one thing he never wanted to share with his twin - the sight of either of them having sex.

"So, I take it it was good while it lasted." He motioned to the waitress as he spotted her coming out of the café.

"Better than good." A corner of her mouth turned in a dreamy half-smile.

Haru smiled amusedly, knowing that the details would come out at some point during the day. He looked at the approaching waitress.

"Morning. Can I have a caramel latte and another espresso, please?"

The waitress nodded and left to get his order.

"Are you intending to give me a heart attack with caffeine?" Haruka asked opening her eyes.

"If you didn't get one from all that alcohol and sex last night, I'm sure it will not kill you." He looked back at her, assessing the damage. "Besides, father is coming back today, they want us to come for dinner, I'm sure to discuss the marriage arrangements."

Haruka sighed. She suspected that that was coming, but decided to prolong the acceptance of reality for as long as she could. Their life will change. Neither of them will be able to have what they had now anymore and she knew it. It would be unhealthy. There will be three of them. A stranger will join their bond. What will she do to it?

"So how good was it?" Haru's voice brought her back to reality.

That half-smile appeared in her features again. "The best I've ever had."

"Really?" Haru looked at her waiting for more.

"In fact, I was forced by supernatural powers to stay for another round after waking up early this morning." She smiled shyly all of a sudden.

"The supernatural powers being the charm and attraction that made you unable to just run away and forget like you always do?" Haru looked knowingly in her eyes.

"Yes." She held his gaze.

He suddenly got up and hugged his sister, causing both of her feet to reach the ground.

"I'm so happy! My Ruka-chan finally found someone she is attracted to!" He looked genuinely happy for her. He pulled away and sat back in his chair.

A bit surprised at his action, Haruka took a moment before answering.

"It doesn't change anything. I get attracted to a lot of people."

"True, but your actions tell me that this is more than a mere attraction." He looked at her waiting for a reaction. Not getting one, he continued. "Maybe, just maybe, you would entertain an idea of having a relationship."

Her husky laughter broke the silence of the morning. "Me?" She was still laughing. "A relationship? Didn't we have that conversation just yesterday?"

"No. We were talking about marriage, not a relationship." He was completely serious now. "Ruka, listen, things are going to change very quickly, whether we want it or not. The wheels have been put in motion. I would like you to have someone other than me, just in case."

His words sobered her up better that caffeine ever could. She sat up straight and looked at him coldly.

"Just in case of what?" Her tone was low, flat, devoid of any emotion.

She could not fool her brother, though. He knew that behind that tone and cold look was a raging fire. Fire fueled by hurt of the situation, by fear of the uncertain future, and the anger at the changes that their lives will most certainly be put through. He knew that because this was what he felt as well, but in that particular moment it was not about what he felt. It was about his concern for his sister. He knew that the bond they had was unbreakable, but any bond can be deformed under enough pressure. He wanted his sister to have someone who would catch her if she ever fell as a result of the deformation. Or if he was not there. The thought has crossed his mind before. They had each other in their lives, but they held on to that bond so hard that prospects of life without the other were unbearable, but they were only human. Things happened. They were not immortal and it was unreasonable to expect that they will reach the finish line of their life like they have reached any other line - together, side by side.

This is why he wanted to make sure that she had someone else. He was not asking for that someone to share with her what the two of them had, he knew that he would be asking too much; but he needed her to have someone. Since yesterday, he knew that he will have that someone in the form of his wife. No matter how their relationship would develop, he would always have another person bound to him, if only by law. Haruka, on the other hand, would have no one.

"Just in case I'm not there." He responded quietly.

"Don't worry, Haruko, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." She leaned back in her original position and closed her eyes.

Haru looked at her, allowing all those emotions to slip through the mask and knowing that the conversation was closed forever, as soon as she called him by his full name.

**ooo**

She opened her eyes and looked at the clock. It showed that it was almost noon. She jumped up and ran for the shower. As soon as the hot water poured over her, licking her body, the memories started to flood her vision between the drops of water.

The blonde girl. She was like a goddess in the middle of the dance floor. Michiru's eyes got glued to her from the bar as soon as she saw her there, dancing with a man. The two figures moved as though they were born to do so together, their movements synchronized and flawless. In that moment in time she hated that blonde man. She felt a sudden urgency to be in his place, to dance with the blonde girl, to caress her skin…

She watched him leave the floor and move to the bar on the opposite side of the room. She saw him flirt with a brunette, leaving the blonde dancing by herself. He did not deserve her! How dared he do that? She was mad for no reason, over a girl she did not even know, but desperately wanted to. It took her quite a while to get all her guts and approach the dancing girl after her male companion left the club, a brunette hanging off of his arm. It was not that she was shy, not at all. It was the guilt. No matter how much she wanted to, she did not feel that it was fair to the girl to be toyed with and then discarded the next morning, just like her boyfriend did that night. _Since when does the aftermath of an adventure bother you? _She shrugged her hesitation and moved through the throng of people towards the girl.

Their bodies met in rhythm with the music and they started dancing. The blonde did not seem to mind Michiru's boldness in the slightest, so she took her cue and decided to go on.

"What's your name?" She heard herself ask over the booming music.

The blonde looked at her and asked back, "will it matter tomorrow?"

Michiru felt the taller woman inching closer to her and accommodated the move. She raised an eyebrow and thought that the girl may not have been as innocent as she first took her to be. Then again, no innocent girl would be dressed the way the blonde was. Her outfit was screaming "take me to your room and do not let me go until you cannot go on anymore."

"Probably not." She thought about it for a second, but decided to ask nonetheless. "Did your boyfriend leave you here alone?"

The blonde girl laughed out loud.

"Does it matter?"

"Do you always answer a question with a questions?" Michiru mused.

"No."

The next thing Michiru knew was she was being kissed hard on the lips, electric current shot through her body and she was losing her grip on reality, until she completely lost it in the hotel room.

She sighed and finished washing the smell of sex off of herself. Apparently the girl was a lot more like herself than Michiru expected. She even left her the way Michiru customarily would. She was definitely intrigued. For the first time in a long time, she wished she did get the girl's name.

She got out of the shower and got dressed in a yellow summer dress. Today was going to be a long day. She was brushing her aquamarine hair when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to reveal a younger woman with brown hair and deep blue eyes, much like her own, standing in the doorway and holding a cup of coffee.

"Nanami-chan!" Michiru exclaimed, allowing her sister to come in.

Nanami looked around the room, the only difference from her own was a messy bed. She passed the coffee to her older sister.

"Morning, Michi, I thought you could use one of these." She smiled at her sister knowingly.

"And how would you know that?" Michiru, who was a much bigger fan of tea quizzed.

"I figured you didn't get much sleep last night, judging by the intensity of you public affection."

Michiru raised a brow. "Oh?"

Nanami looked at her sister in awe. Was she really that into it that she noticed nothing around her? Then, again, judging by the way she was going at the blonde, she was…

"I saw you two in the elevator." She remembered the green eyes looking up at her and shivered. "Well, at least I can tell you for sure you both were into it to the same degree." She took a seat at the edge of the bed.

"Oh." Michiru's cheeks flushed red as she quickly turned away from her sister.

"Good thing you wore that wig to protect yourself from the aftermath of your lewd actions." Nanami smirked.

"You know that's not the reason I wore it." Michiru retorted. She was an upcoming violinist and was fast becoming famous in Europe, where she just finished her studies. She was not sure if her newfound fame reached Japan, so she decided to disguise herself when she went out for the first time. Hiding in the crowd with her hair color was a joke.

"So, what's the plan of action?" Nanami inquired from the bed, losing interest in their prior conversation.

"Get dressed, get stuff, get going." Michiru replied from the mirror. "I think the manor should be ready by now."

The girls arrived to Tokyo Friday morning. They were expecting for their old home to be ready for their return and were disappointed to find out that they were expected to arrive the next day with their parents. Deciding to make the best of the situation, they went to a hotel and planned an outing for the night. Today, however, their parents would arrive and it was time for them to go back to their "good daughter" images and wait for them at the Kaioh Manor.

**ooo**

They were wondering through the house reminiscing on the old times, before they moved to Italy, when they heard their parents' limo pull up. They went to the entrance and greeted their parents.

"Mom, dad!" Nanami squealed as she threw herself into her parent's embraces.

"Welcome home." Michiru voiced, smiling.

"Michiru-chan, Nanami-chan." Kaito smiled at his daughters. His wife greeted them by placing a kiss on each of their cheeks, a tradition she picked up in Europe and held dear to her heart within family.

"How are you settling in?" Miho asked, looking around the old mansion.

"Good. Just waiting for you to come and make the dinner plans, mom." Nanami chirped. Much like her sister, she did not have anything but coffee at this point. "I'm starving."

Miho smiled gently at her daughter, a shadow crossing her face as she moved her gaze to Michiru.

"Don't worry sweetheart. This dinner has been planned a long time ago." Miho looked at her husband and both exchanged knowing, uneasy glances.

"Why don't you girls go get yourselves ready. You mother and I will freshen up from the trip and meet you here in…" Kaito looked at his watch. "Let's say an hour. We should be able to make our reservations that way."

**ooo**

Kaito watched his wife appear from the bathroom as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Are you ready for it?" He asked her as she walked to the closet where some of her older clothes hang.

"Will we ever be ready?" She replied.

"Nariko was right, it was easier to plan it before Michiru was even born. Following through is going to be painful." He sighed.

"Well, brace yourself for it. I hear the twins are still avoiding her since she broke the news before the board." Miho picked a simple black evening dress and walked to the mirror.

"I don't know what is better, being forced to tell your child or doing that at your own accord." He picked one of the ties out of his open luggage and put it on.

"You can have both. You, at your own accord decided to do it tonight, and I will force you to do it. It's a loose-loose for you." Miho finished putting her dress on and went to pick a pair of decent shoes.

"Aren't you a delight today." Kaito raised a brow at his wife.

"I don't deal with stress as well as you do , so deal with it." She shot back.

Kaito sighed in exasperation. Arranged marriages ran in both his and his wife's families for generations and neither saw anything wrong with the idea itself. The choice was made years ago because it was the made the most logical sense. Becoming family with their best friends coupled with benefits to their business outweighed the concern of hurting their children's feelings at the time. Now, however, their free-spirited children and their feelings were at stake and for the first time the parents grew a bit concerned about their decision.

Kaito looked at his watch, it was quarter to seven and Tenohs should have finished their dinner by now. His hand dove into his pocked and recovered a cell phone. He dialed one of the numbers on speed dial.

"Riku?" He skipped the greeting altogether.

"Yes, we're getting ready to go to the restaurant." He heard his best friend joke at his exasperated voice.

"Yes, I'm freaking out. You're the only lucky bastard that escaped the purgatory by forcing your wife to do the job." Kaito snorted at the reply he got for his accusations.

"How did your dinner go?" He listened for a while as his friend relayed to him the short version of the past hour and tried to raise his spirits by assuring him that Michiru will take it as a dutiful daughter she was. An amused look never left Kaito's face.

"Hey, if your kids avoided you for a whole day and then played you, I can only imagine what our daughter will do to us." He sighed and thanked his friend for the encouragements.

"Yes, I'll let you know how it went if I'm alive." He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I have a will."

His lips cracked in a small smile. "No, you are not in it, so don't make things worse."

He said his goodbyes and hang up the phone.

Miho emerged from the closet fully dressed and made-up. "So?" She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, the twins responded by coming to dinner dressed identically and making their parents wonder for the most of an hour which one of them was the son soon to be married, as both peppered them with questions in first person." He shared his wife's amusement.

"Funny thing, they really didn't know who was who until Haruka got pissed and stormed out of the room." Kaito chuckled. He sometimes felt bad that the boy had a longer fuse. Or maybe he didn't, maybe his sister simply beat him to it and he had to stay and make up for her absence.

"Makes you wonder what else they can do unbeknown to the rest of us." Miho mused.

**ooo**

They reserved a private room at one of Kaioh's favorite restaurants. Their meal was quite enjoyable, a light-hearted conversation about the move back to Japan going around the table. Once they finished the main course and were waiting for a dessert, Kaito cleared his throat. He glanced at his wife fleetingly, who sent him a look of encouragement.

"I know you girls are not interested in the company matters all that much." He knew where their priorities were - music for Michiru and art for Nanami. "But there is something you need to know."

The girls looked at him with a hint of concern. Was the business in trouble? They never seemed to question the source of their family's income, always trusting their parents to do their job, and being completely absorbed in their own interests.

"As you know, Kaioh Group mainly deals with arts and entertainment sphere through the art galleries, concert halls, clubs, and similar establishments we own throughout the world."

Of course the girls knew. In fact, the night club they visited just last night was owned by the Kaioh Group.

"We have been always focusing our attention on the new ideas, new spaces, and new opportunities to expand what we have and to make sure that what we have already created does not get lost in time and is up to date." Kaito took a sip of water, knowing that he was closing in on the subject and trying to delay it, even if by seconds.

"I am sure you are aware of the company we have been closely working with throughout the years, the Tenoh Group." The girls nodded, still waiting to see where this was going.

"The Tenoh Group deals primarily with real estate and our partnership has allowed us to work on combined projects, such as entertainment complexes and so on. This association has benefitted both of our companies greatly throughout the years and we intend to make it even stronger. We intend to merge with Tenoh Group." Kaito looked at the reaction of his daughters.

There was none.

Okay, so maybe he was expecting too much. After all, unlike the twins, his daughters did not go to a business school and may not know what that meant for their company.

"Are you intending to take Kaioh Group public?" Unexpectedly Michiru's question broke his line of thinking.

Scratch that whole thing about not going to business school out. The girl still shared his or his wife's brain. He looked at her with a light of appreciation. _Sorry honey._

"No. Kaioh Group has always been a private company and we are intending to keep it that way."

Now the meaning was completely lost on Michiru. How on earth were they intending to merge with another company, or even bring somebody on board without breaking the family traditions. The realization crept on her like January frost and started to freeze her insides.

"Michiru, we want you to marry Tenoh's son, Haru." Kaito said.

Michiru did not move. She felt the cold vise reaching her neck and shortly cooling her hot head that was about to explode.

They wanted her to do what?

She knew that her parents' marriage was arranged and that they loved each other more than she could possibly imagine, but it meant nothing to her. She knew that, unlike her parents, she would never fall in love with the man she married. For goodness sake, she was gay!

Nanami looked at her sister as soon as she heard the words come out of her father's mouth. She, unlike their parents, knew that Michiru preferred girls, she has known that for quite a while. However, knowing how traditional their parents were made neither girl breach the subject. Nanami never brought her dates anywhere near her parents, so her parents assumed that both daughters were doing so out of propriety and respect. That was partially true, since respect and love for their parents was the only thing that was keeping her sister from screaming at the top of her lungs that she was a lesbian at the moment.

All eyes at the table were set on Michiru. She has not moved since her father's words, not an inch, her face completely expressionless and her eyes glued to the table.

Michiru thought of a million questions, but did not bother to voice them. She knew the answers. She knew why they were doing this to her. It was simple. They did not have a son. They wanted someone to take over the company and continue the family tradition. Neither she nor Nanami had any interest in playing CEOs at any time in the future, so they found another way.

She felt like crying. The first waves of rage that were replaced by the cold vise made her shudder inside. In any other circumstances she would not hesitate to show her temper, but there was no point in doing so. No matter who she was, she was her parents' daughter and she owed her life to them. If they wanted her to spend her life with this Tenoh man, she would do so. She would not make her parents miserable. She will do that to him.

A thought crossed her mind and all of a sudden she just started laughing uncontrollably. She was being punished! This was her sentence! For all those girls she left in the mornings after spending the night, for hiding her sexuality from her parents, for the ungodly amount of pleasure she received the night before. She was being sentenced by her parents to a death in marriage, without their knowing so. Tears accumulated at the corners of her eyes from the laughter.

The rest of the Kaiohs looked at each other with worry. Of any reaction they expected, this was not one they could have imagined.

"Michi-chan, your father was not joking." Miho tried, looking at her daughter with concern.

"I… know!" She could not stop laughing. "What would… you have me… cry?" The bolts of laughter interrupted her words.

"So you're okay with it?" Nanami looked at her sister in shock.

"Of course I'm not fine with it!" Michiru stopped laughing as abruptly as she started. "But I don't have a choice now, do I?"

Kaito and Miho looked at each other and grew quiet for the rest of the night. Both daughters could see their guilt-ridden faces, but knew that their parents would not take it back. Apparently, the wheels have been set in motion. All they had to do was see where it takes them.

Michiru looked at her parents in deep thought. She was suddenly tired._ Never take it out on the family. Take it out on others._ Her sapphire eyes shone with a streak of evil.


	5. Fallen Angels

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Fallen Angels**

Waves crushed forcefully into the shore. Gusts of wind picked up particles of salt from the ocean and scattered them around the beach. Grey sky seemed to become darker ever so slightly as the black clouds quickly moved along the shoreline and threatened observers with a promise of a torrential downpour.

The weather reflected her somber mood perfectly. She ran along the shoreline next to her brother, just like they did most mornings. She could feel her muscles get tired as the sight of the beach house in the distance reached her. Her spirit, however, felt relentless. She was trying to tire her body, so that she would not have too much uncompensated energy during the day. The last thing she needed was her temper flaring at some point. She needed to be respectful and proper at least until the conclusion of this gloomy day.

Her sneakers crushed into the soft sand as she turned away from the water and ran towards the house. She reached the lower terrace on the side and hurriedly took off her shoes with her feet, kicking them into the corner and slipping inside the house. She grabbed a glass on her way to the refrigerator, filled it with water from the dispenser and hungrily gulped it down.

Haru walked in through the front door, carrying his and her sneakers minutes later. He put them on a low shelf by the utility room and walked into the kitchen, mirroring his sister's earlier actions to satisfy his thirst. He leaned on the counter and watched her open the refrigerator door.

"Eggs and pancakes?"

"Sure. I'll put a coffee pot while you're taking a shower." She nodded in response, closed the door and briskly walked to the stairs. Reaching her room, she quickly removed her wet, sweaty clothes and walked into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, giving the water a chance to warm up. She looked at her reflection in the mirror by the sink. Her green eyes were circled with a slight shadow of the last sleepless nights. But for this imperfection, her skin was flawless, her features handsome. She let her gaze travel down from her face. Her body was lean and lanky, but firm, leaving no doubts about the perfection of her shape. Her eyes stopped at the reflection of her defined abs in the now fogging mirror. She squinted as a small mark disappeared from her view in the mist-covered mirror.

She looked down. There, on her side, was a small mark, the only physical proof of the night she shared with the aquanette. She traced her fingers over it, feeling her body remember the touch of the smaller girl's lips and the ever so teasing teeth. She quivered slightly in pleasure. Opening her eyes, she stepped into the shower and seriously considered lowering the temperature all the way down to cool off her thoughts.

She walked downstairs and smelled the aroma of freshly made coffee. Judging by the sound of the running water, Haru was still in the shower. She reached for the fridge once again and started to prepare the breakfast.

They sat down at the dining table, setting their plates and cups on the place mats Haruka threw down earlier. The coffee warmed up their insides, as the breakfast satisfied their hunger. The phone buzzed from one of the end tables by the sofas. Haruka looked at the clock, it was just past nine in the morning. She got up and briskly walked to the phone to get it in time.

"Moshi moshi."

"Mother," Haruka greeted evenly, while walking back to the dining table and putting the phone on speaker.

"...having a good day so far. The Kaiohs have confirmed that they will join us for an early dinner tonight at five." Nariko's even voice resonated from the speaker. Haruka looked at her brother, mimicking her mother's most likely facial expressions as she was saying those words.

"Uh huh." She acknowledged the fact that she was still listening. Her mother continued, ignoring her daughter's "input."

"As we mentioned before, this will allow all of you to meet each other properly and to get to know one another a bit, while also providing us with an opportunity to discuss the details of the wedding." Haruka sighed audibly. Haru just sat in his chair sipping coffee, listening to his mother and watching his sister's antics. "So, we want you to be here by five o'clock sharp." Her mother paused for the first time. "And Haruka, I don't want you to do anything that you or we as a family will regret later."

Haruka stared at the receiver. What did she do? It was Haru's idea to go to the dinner last night looking like the identical twins they were. She just did it. Not that she minded... but still, not her fault. She sighed again and turned the speaker phone off, returning the receiver to her ear. "Yes, mother, I will be an outmost proper child you can imagine."

_"I'm not joking Haruka."_ Her mother's voice was unnecessarily stern.

"I got that, mother." She looked at Haru. His expression did not change one bit. "We will be there by five." She disconnected without waiting for a reply from her mother and threw the phone at one of the sofas.

"What did I do?" Haruka looked at her brother questioningly.

"She probably thinks that you are the mastermind behind everything that she uncovers about us."

"She should know better." She sat back down and finished her coffee.

"Can you blame her? We are talking about you." Haru got up and picked up the empty plates, walked to the kitchen and placed them in the dishwasher.

"Sometimes I want to. She is our mother, she should know us." Haruka got up and brought her cup to the kitchen, disposing of it by making it disappear with the plates.

"She does."_Which is why she is expecting anything from you._ Haru turned around to face her and leaned against the counter, placing the palms of his hands on the edges on both sides. "We just make it unfairly hard sometimes. You and I know each other too well. It's unfair to ask anyone else to know us better, we have been together since before we were born."

Haruka mirrored her brother's posture on the opposite counter. "I know, I just don't like to be the villain in her eyes."

**ooo**

"Are you nervous?"

Michiru looked at her sister as they got out of the door and headed for the black limo waiting in the front. The day was somber, not even a ray of sunlight slipping through the thick cover of gray clouds.

"Not really. It is what it is. He can be the prince charming incarnate and it will not matter. I don't like him already."

"You're being a bit unfair, don't you think? He's in the same position that you are. No one asked him about what he wanted. What if he already has someone? Did you think about his feelings?"

"I'm thinking about our parents' feelings. I don't care about his feelings. Someone has to pay for making me miserable and, since I cannot make the people responsible for my misery pay, he gets to be the chosen one."

Nanami frowned at her, a feeling of uneasiness settling deep inside. She knew her sister was not vindictive, nor was she ill-wishing. Her whole approach to this wedding arrangement has been out of character, making Nanami wonder where it would take them. She smiled at the driver, holding the door open for her and relaxed into the back seat, Michiru following her closely. Their parents took the opposite seat and faced them.

"Ready?" Miho asked as the car started to move smoothly out of the mansion's grounds. The seriousness of her tone and the ever slight hesitation was not missed by Michiru.

"It is what it is, right?" She looked out of the window at the passing scenery, not wanting to keep the eye contact with her mother. "What I was wondering, though, is why haven't we met before? Tenoh-san visited us in Europe quite often and I remember him and his wife from before we moved. You all have been quite close, haven't you?

"They are the only family we have other than you two." Miho looked at her daughters gingerly. Nanami was looking at her intently, while Michiru kept looking out of the window, not bothering to look at her mother as she spoke. "You actually have met, you just don't remember. As it happens, you, Michi-chan, have met your future husband the day you were born, he was there to visit with his parents." She smiled at her recollection of that day.

Michiru's eyebrow rose in skepticism. "Really…" She turned to look at her mother at last. "So being so close that your friends visited you at the hospital with their children, how come we don't know them?" A trace of irony was vaguely present in her even tone. Miho kept looking at her in silence.

"You have met each other as children, but that was long enough for you not to remember." Kaito took over his wife's explanation, noting that she was gone in her own world of reverie. "Both of our families have done a lot of travel over the years, so while we kept in touch, you often were left out of the reunions." He crossed his arms over his chest and continued. "Later, you and Nanami went to an all-girl school, while the Tenoh children went to a regular school, your paths never crossing… Then we left for Europe so that you girls could get all you could from arts and music, while they were in the United States, pursuing their business degrees… we did not intentionally keep you apart, it just happened that way." He looked at them with a sad smile, almost regretting that they did not indeed make an effort for their kids to know each other. Who knows, maybe that would have made this whole ordeal easier to accept.

Michiru did not respond. It did not really matter why they did not know each other. She doubted that that would have changed anything. She concentrated on the scenery beyond the pane of the tinted glass as silence fell on the occupants of the limo.

**ooo**

The black limo pulled into the ornate gates and came to a halt at the front door of the Tenoh Estate. The driver opened the door and helped the Kaioh family out of the vehicle. Michiru shivered at a sudden gust of wind and looked at the sky. It was going to rain. She widened her step to keep up with her parents, who were trying to make it inside before the first drops of rain reached them.

She regretted wearing a summer dress. The temperature started to fall as the clouds neared and her cotton light gray dress was no longer enough to keep her warm. She felt goose bumps appearing right below her elbows, where her sleeves ended. All of a sudden she was looking forward to getting inside the big house.

The door opened and she followed her parents through. Just beyond the entrance hall there was a large living room that span from a large staircase on the left to a wall-length fireplace on the right, far enough to have a conversation by and not be heard from the entrance. There she saw two people she instantly recognized as Tenohs getting up from their comfortable position on the sofa. The butler showed them through towards the hearth.

"Kaito! Miho! Long time no see… " Riku snickered as he greeted the friends he parted with just yesterday shortly after their plane landed, approaching them and giving them a hearty hug. Miho replied by kissing him on both cheeks and turning to the blonde woman beside him.

"Nari-chan…" She squealed like a teenager at the friend she has not seen in quite a long time. Nariko smiled endearingly and hugged her friend tightly in response.

Michiru was watching her parents' uncharacteristic display of affection in amusement. _She wasn't kidding when she said they were her family._ Her perplexed gaze turned to the brunette man that was looking at her after greeting her father.

"Michiru-chan -"

"Hello, Tenoh-san." Michiru bowed slightly as she greeted him in an even tone.

He held her gaze for a moment before turning to greet her sister. Nariko separated herself from her friend and looked at Michiru.

"Michiru-chan, you're all grown up." She smiled gently at the girl. "Welcome back to Japan."

"Thank you, Tenoh-san." Michiru bowed, her cold mask of propriety never slipping.

"Why don't you come closer to the fireplace, it's unseasonably cold today and the fire is so welcoming." Nariko gestured to the other side of the room. "I'm going to see if the twins would be kind enough to join us." She looked at her husband mockingly as he followed Kaiohs to the hearth.

She walked up to the staircase in time to see her son stumbling down with a boyish frown.

"Mother, have you seen Ru -"

His eyes traveled to the four people on the other side of the room and he realized that his sudden outburst may have been inappropriate.

"Ara, that's a first. You lost your sister?" Nariko chuckled at her son. "She was getting some of the older CDs from the music room. Why don't you get her to come down, so that we can do the introductions…" She waved her head towards the other side of the room.

"Surely."

On the other side of the room, a pair of sapphire eyes widened in surprise. _I guess it will be easier to hate him than I thought._

Though he looked a bit different in the daylight in his chocolate-colored slacks and light yellow shirt, all tucked in and proper, there was no doubt in her mind. He was the man she felt so strongly against at the club... Then it hit her... If this was the man from the club, then she would eventually see the blonde girl again! Granted that they were still together, that is... and considering that he was probably her fiancé that was unlikely…

Thinking about the girl brought the memories back and she felt uncomfortable around her family all of a sudden. "Excuse me, but I think I need to use the restroom."

"Sure thing, honey. Just take the hallway down, it's the second door on the left." Her mother pointed her in the right direction. Michiru smiled her thanks and left before the out of place memories suffocated her completely.

**ooo**

Haru walked up the stairs and found his way to the music room. Haruka was crouching by a rack, going through some CDs. She was wearing black dress pants and a light yellow top, both accentuating her feminine figure, but not "girly" in any way.

"They're here."

"And… have you seen your trophy wife?"

"Ha ha. You're so original."

"Well… have you?" She turned around, getting up.

"Glanced at them from the other side of the room, did not get a chance to take in the details."

"Worried?" She looked into his eyes. "Do I need to bring a paper bag in case you want to vomit?"

"I would never be that worried."

"That's not why I offered the bag."

The realization dawned on Haru. "I doubt our parents would force me to marry a beast."

She raised an eyebrow. "I guess their actions did nothing to lessen your faith in them. Good for you."

"Why are you so edgy? You're not the one meeting a fiancée…"

"No, I'm meeting my competition." She mumbled under her breath, but Haru did not miss it.

"Is that what you feel like?" He raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. "This is different. You know she will never take your place."

He walked up to her and locked her in a tight embrace. "I will always love you the way I do now. You are my half. Now and forever. Nothing will change that."

Haruka returned her brother's hug. No additional words were necessary. She finally let go first. "Shall we then?"

They walked out into the hallway and got to the top of the stairs. Haruka looked at the group of people by the fireplace.

"You are right… No paper accessories needed."

They both looked at the young girl wearing a blue dress as they descended the steps. Her brown hair was pulled in a high ponytail, falling down to the middle of her back. She was naturally pretty, her face reflecting nothing but curiosity.

"Ah… there you are." Riku smiled warmly as they approached. The twins greeted the older Kaiohs.

"So... you are... the other victim." Haruka said, looking at the girl. Her deep blue eyes doubled in size as she stared in Haruka's green ones. Her surprise had nothing to do with being mistaken, more so with drowning in those deep green... terrifying eyes… again.

"Ugh...hum." Riku cleared his throat at the brash comment. "No, this is Nanami-chan, Michiru-chan's younger sister."

"Oh." A slight color crept up Haruka's neck.

"Tenoh Haruka. Pleasure to meet you." She bowed to the girl.

The girl gulped. "K-Kaioh Nanami. The _pleasure_ is all mine." She bowed to both twins, her emphasis not missed by Haruka.

Looking at the young man, Nanami stated: "And you must be -"

"Michi-chan… right on the cue."

All eyes turned to Michiru, missing the outwardly shocked expression on the blonde's face.

Michiru did not have such luxury. Shock, disbelief, horror, and shock, again, flashed through her face at the speed of a racing car. She was stunned.

Seeing that she was unable to come out of her stupor, though not knowing why, Riku decided to introduce his children. "Michiru-chan, this is my son Haru…" Haru bowed as Michiru desperately tried to find power within her to do the same. "And this is my daughter, Ruka -"

"My name is Tenoh Haruka." She stepped a bit closer and bowed slightly to the smaller woman. Her introduction seemed out of place, until it dawned on Michiru that the blonde was answering the first question Michiru has ever asked her. She bit her lower lip before replying quietly.

"Kaioh Michiru."

The rest of the group passed confused glances, unsure what Haruka was doing.

"Why don't we move to the dining room." Nariko broke the silence.

Michiru felt rooted to the floor. This did and did not make sense at the same time. She remembered them moving on the dance floor. She could have sworn they were lovers, they were so close. Then again, they were twins, so of course they were close, of course they would catch each other's movements and become one. She remembered Haruka laughing at her question about the boyfriend… Haruka spending the night…

_Oh God. I slept with my fiancé's sister!_

"Coming?"

Her sister's voice jolted her back to reality and she slowly followed everybody out.

**ooo**

Now Haruka felt like she needed that paper bag. She felt like vomiting. She slept with her brother's fiancée!

_And she was the best I've had! Fuck. _She looked at her brother taking a seat across from her and realized that this was going to be one of those rare times in her life she was going to keep something from him._ Bitch._

She did not even marry her brother yet, but she already changed their relationship. Haruka sighed in frustration.

Haru sent her a questioning look. _Are you ok?_

She forced a pained smile to her face and nodded in reassurance.

The seating arrangement was semi-informal. No one sat at the head of the table. Instead, the children sat in the middle, while the parents sat on the sides. Haruka was opposite her brother, his fiancée next to him and her sister next to Haruka. A casual conversation was circulating around the table; Haruka contributing occasionally and Michiru just nodding quietly from time to time.

Finally, Haruka got tired of the sour taste in her mouth and bored at the conversation. So she forced the sourness down her throat, shrugging her thoughts off. What's done is done, but what kind of a wife was in store for her brother? Her curiosity finally won over her other senses.

"So, Michiru-san, how do you find the marriage arrangement?"

Conversations died down in an instant. Haruka felt a few killer looks burning wholes through her being for her boldness and successfully ignored them. Michiru raised sapphires at her for the first time and locked her gaze. _Fine blondie… two can play this game._

"I find it a lot more agreeable since meeting my fiancé, Haruka-san."

Haru looked at the woman sitting next to him in surprise, her forwardness intriguing him.

"Yes, he does_ seem_ like your type. _Seem_ being the operating word."

"Oh, and how would you know, Haruka-san?"

_I can tell after I've slept with the girl._ Haruka swallowed her snort. "I have a gift of seeing who people are underneath their masks."

"How often do you have to slip your own on to keep that gift in check?"

_She's good. _Haru was amused. He has never seen anyone bicker back and forth with his sister, it was a novelty and he enjoyed every minute of it. _Perhaps this will not be as bad as I thought._

A slight grin appeared on Haruka's handsome features. _Feisty._

"Often enough… perhaps more so than you… to not let the fallen angel through."

"Haruka?" Nariko's face and low tone reflected her fury. "I see the conversation we had earlier had no effect on you. Would you like to explain your last sentence in front of everybody or wait until we are alone and I can skin you?"

Haruka closed her eyes for a second, regretting being carried away too far by their bickering. "I am sorry, mother, it rhymed. No significance." She opened her eyes directly into Michiru's gaze, letting her know that she meant every word.


	6. The Violin

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**The Violin**

The auditorium was filled with emotion. Rage, pleasure and undeniable hurt were projected by a violin in a peculiar yet stunning composition that the audience has never heard before. They were captivated, their entire beings shaken by the raw feeling produced by the instrument. It was refreshing, not often is a musician able to project something so effective from the stage, capturing each and every person within the audience. Even more perplexing was the combination of feelings that the said audience was interchangeably consumed by: they were basic instincts. No masks, no complicated layers, just pure animal nature of who humans are.

Many felt a shiver of pleasure shoot through them as a woeful yet seductive tune became audible. She tightened her grip and pressed her bow firmer into the strings, letting the rage unexpectedly pierce through the relaxed bodies. This was her outlet. This was her first performance in Japan, it was a benefit, but she could not miss the chance to relieve herself of the emotions that have been raging inside of her for the past few days. She wrote this the night after that dinner. She could not sleep. Actually, she could not sleep much this whole week, but this expression made her look forward to the restful night.

The rage and the tempo intensified only to be replaced with a deafening blow of hurt. She closed her sparkling eyes and remembered that night again, to make sure the emotion projected to the audience was exactly the right one.

**ooo**

"What are you doing here?" Michiru whispered in a low threatening voice.

Haruka looked at her incredulously and pretended to ponder on her question. "What am I doing here? Hmm…" She raised her eyes to the ceiling, putting a finger to her lips, mockingly trying to remember what she was doing there indeed. "Oh, I know!" She grinned as though she just figured out an answer to a million dollar question. "This is my parents' house! I must have been invited here! That's right, I'm here for a dinner."

Michiru was not amused at the blonde's antics. Not one bit. She did not know how she felt at the moment, her entire being flooded by all kinds of emotions at the same time. All she wanted to do was burst. Cleanse herself of the internal chaos and have a direction. _Like I would be that lucky._

"If that is the case, I would appreciate it if you could concentrate on digesting the food you have recently consumed and leave me alone!"

Haruka looked pointedly around herself to both ends of the dim hallway. "I'm not the one who followed myself here… It's kinda hard to leave someone alone if they fall in your steps, don't you think?"

Michiru grunted. She was getting tired of this. The last thing she needed right now was the odd behavior from the girl she did not know outside the bedroom. Especially since that girl had the power of burying her alive in front of her family… the fact that she dug the grave herself was irrelevant in Michiru's reasoning.

"Listen, it's not like I have a choice of being or not being here. So can you please make an effort and ignore the fact that you may have dreamt something about a night of dancing and… more dancing?" She needed to get the control over the situation at least within her reach.

Haruka raised an eyebrow moving closer to the smaller woman, but keeping their gazes locked. "Well, it seemed to me that you really tried to make a lasting impression when you were… dancing… that night."

Michiru thanked the dimness for allowing her to hide the blush as Haruka continued.

"It would have to be one hell of an effort…" She brushed Michiru's cheek with her lips and felt the heat in the smaller woman's body rising.

"Besides, Michiru-san…" She pulled away, becoming entirely serious and cold. "You do have a choice. You can go back to the dining table and tell them exactly why you cannot marry my brother. Because trust me, you don't want to make him miserable."

The heat completely left her body at Haruka's threat. She looked into the cold green eyes and squinted her own blue ones. "What I tell them and when is my choice and mine alone. If you ever bring up that subject again, rhyme or not, I will take you down with me. Don't you ever forget that you were moaning in that bed as much as I was and you are as deep under the blankets in front of your parents as I am in front of mine. Don't fuck with me Haruka, I am much like you and I will not hesitate to bury you alive."

She turned around sharply and went back to the dining room, her icy words still piercing through Haruka.

Nariko saw the aquanette's flustered face on the way to the restroom and then her gaze fell on her daughter. She walked up to the blonde, grabbing her elbow, not bothering to stop, and let her to the other side of the house, into an empty study.

_Great. This is just great. First I will be skinned and then I will be buried alive… without my skin. _She felt herself being forced into the study, the door shutting behind them. Her mother let go of her elbow and sharply turned around to face her, her eyes almost black, the darkest Haruka has ever seen.

"I am through with you. I asked you nicely, I told you threateningly, it does not reach your thick head. This is not a game, Haruka! These people are not some low-life humans you exercise your vexation on. They are our family. If you don't care a damn about this family, then you will not be part of it! This is my last warning to you. Don't make me choose between you and the rest of them, you don't want to know my pick!"

Haruka looked at her in stunned silence. Did her mother just threaten to disown her? How could she? What for? "What did_ I _do?"

Nariko looked at her in frustrated disbelief._ Is she kidding? No, she's not._

"I'm not just talking about your rudeness to the people that are dear to my heart Haruka. I'm talking about your games. Your whole life is a game. You are too good for whatever it is that life gives you, so you need to make it more fun. You are a spoiled brat that cares about no one than herself if you think even for a second that your actions have no effect on people around you. Look at your current toy - Michiru. When you started playing, did you realize that you may break it? Did you realize that your toy is your brother's future wife? Did you realize that of all people you were hurting him? I have always thought that it was all about you for the two of you. Apparently I was mistaken. For you, Haruka, it is all about yourself."

She turned around and left without another word or a glance.

Haruka felt like she was stripped of all her feelings and then the layers of her heart where removed by a sharp blade with every word that came out of her mother's mouth. In the end, there was nothing left. Nothing but a gaping hole.

She felt tears coming to her eyes, finally bringing some relief. She knew she had a temper and she knew she was brash with people she did not care much about, but that was no different from her brother. _Games?_ She was not playing games… was she? How could her mother be so mistaken as to think that she would not care about the people around her? Of course she cared. How could her mother not see through her the way she saw through the same faults of her brother? Did her secret distance her from her mother so much that the latter was unable to see who she was anymore? Then again, if she did see through her like she did through Haru, she would know, wouldn't she?

Haruka did not feel her nails digging into the palms of her hands; she was numb. Inside and out.

**ooo**

Michiru was fuming. The words she threw at Haruka made her feel slightly better, but not enough. Surprisingly, she was starting to feel guilty. Maybe she went too far. She looked up as she saw the subject of her thoughts walk back to the table. She was very stiff, a hard mask placed securely on her face. There was just one second when the blonde's feelings reflected in her eyes - when she connected them with her brother, and Michiru flinched from the agony she saw in them.

She swallowed hard. She did go too far. Did her words hurt Haruka this much? Suddenly she felt pain put down the raging fire inside and she was left completely empty and tired. She wished for this day to be over.

Her hand automatically reached for the glass as she turned her attention back to the conversation at the table.

"… were thinking that it would be reasonable to schedule the wedding in a month." Miho's voice reached her. Michiru almost chocked on the wine she was sipping.

"A month?"

"Reasonable?"

Michiru and Haru stared at each other for the first time, shouting the questions.

"We will take care of the business side of things and the sooner we finish it, the better." Riku put in. "All you two have to do is plan the actual event."

_And get used to the idea of sharing a bed. _Michiru closed her eyes.

"I doubt you will have problems doing so in a month with your sisters helping you." Kaito finished for his friend.

Silence fell around the table as the young people contemplated the meaning of those words. Yeah this was going to make it easy. No problem. They will take care of it in no time. They were only planning something that would start a new life for all… Haru looked at Haruka… three of them.

What was wrong with Haruka anyway? He looked at her again. Ever since she came back from the bathroom she looked like she was stubbed in the chest by someone and then they pole-danced around the handle of the knife. Haru shivered at his own distasteful originality. He will find out what hurt his Ruka, but not today… she looked like she needed space.

He shifted his eyes to his fiancée. She was beautiful. He felt completely mesmerized by her and he loved her spunky personality, at least the little of her spunky personality he got a glimpse of when she was bickering with his sister. He was feeling better and better about the arrangement. _So a month, huh? I guess I'll have to call in the favors._

Michiru felt him look at her, but ignored it. _A month._ Kept replaying in her head. There was just a lousy month before her sentencing was going to take effect… and one of the reasons of why God was punishing her was sitting across the table. Michiru wanted to drown in her own misery.

**ooo**

Blue eyes opened as complete silence erupted into standing ovation. She saw her family members standing in the first row, pure joy and pride radiating from each of them. She bowed politely to her audience and left the stage.

"Wow. That was... something." Nanami locked her sister in an excited embrace. "I don't think I have ever seen you play like that… with such passion… and the song…"

Michiru chuckled. "I guess all I need for a good performance is to be told that I'm getting married in a month."

Nanami's smile fell off her face. Michiru grimaced, indicating for Nanami not to take her statement to heart. They entered the ballroom, noting that many of Tokyo's creme de la crop as well as other performers from the benefit were mingling throughout the room. Her eyes fell on a head of sandy blonde hair that belonged to her fiance.

They looked so alike… she was wondering, not for the first time, how similar they were beyond their looks. Now that she had an outlet for her feelings and tamed her hurting heart, she was wondering what was ahead of her and how she would deal with it. If the recent events have taught her anything, it would be the fact that life is unpredictable, so she decided to settle for taking it one day at a time.

She followed her parents as they approached the Tenoh circle.

"Ah, Michiru-chan, you were wonderful!" Nariko hugged the musician as she approached. "It caught my breath. I don't think I have ever heard anything this powerful in my entire life."

Michiru faked a smile. She was still trying to get used to the idea that these people she has known for years will be her family. She turned to Haru as he approached.

"I could not agree more with mother, I think you are truly brilliant. I felt really sad that my sister missed such a performance."

Michiru did not share the sentiment. Somehow she had this strange feeling that the blonde would see directly through the music and into her soul. She shivered at the notion, happy that the woman was not there.

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that." She was going to ask where Haruka was, but decided against it.

The group enjoyed a light conversation, sipping their drinks and munching on some hors d'oeuvres. Michiru suddenly felt warm when she saw a tall blonde enter the room, wearing a simple black evening gown. Her unrefined beauty was breathtaking. Michiru quickly lowered her gaze before someone else noted her flush.

Haruka approached the group of people, bowing upon her arrival. Though she joined them physically, her emotional state lived up to her name. She was polite and respectful, answering when addressed, but never initiating a conversation.

Haru was watching her from underneath his lashes, but figured that the time has not come yet to intervene. She was acting odd, that was for sure. Even more surprising was the fact that she has been acting this way all week, no matter whether their parents or Kaiohs were around or if they were alone. She was simply distant from the world. The fact that she went to the tracks every day did not escape him either. He sighed inwardly and turned his attention to Michiru. He had to admit, she was growing on him. She was beautiful, successful, smart, and she had a soul. The last one he knew when he heard her play. He has only heard one person play like that before and he knew that those feelings were real, they came from the deepest place within one's being - their soul.

His musings were interrupted by a subtle realization that Michiru was stealthily watching Haruka, while the blonde completely and utterly ignored the aquanette's presence. He looked around to see if anyone else noticed this as well and his eyes connected with Nanami's. She looked away too quickly, which signaled to him that he was right. He disregarded a nagging feeling that his twin was hiding something from him as ridiculous. He heard the first strings of waltz and turned to Michiru.

"Do you dance?"

"Occasionally." She gave a quick pointed look to Haruka, who glanced at her for the first time throughout the whole night in time to catch its meaning.

"Then may I have a dance on this particular occasion?"

To refuse was simply impolite, so she did not hesitate in agreeing. They walked to the middle of the dance floor and started moving in tune with the music. Soon, Michiru noticed that they were being observed by many in the room. Though it may have been surprising to her, it was only natural that the beautiful couple attracted attention. _We would look like that if I danced with her too…_ The thought was dangerous and unfitting, so she pushed it out of her mind and concentrated on following the steps of her partner, feeling two pairs of green eyes on herself throughout the dance.


	7. The Piano

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**The Piano**

Beautiful sorrowful melody filled the room. Not a sound reached from the outside, as though the world was afraid to impede on the woman playing, her eyes closed, her relaxed body swaying ever so slightly. The sound perpetrated his entire being. He was watching her in silence for a long time now, afraid to move, feeling that he was not worthy of disturbing this moment. Once the melody died down, he gathered his courage.

"You have been crying since Sunday night."

She has not shed a tear since she closed the door to the study that night. Haruka raised a questioning look to her brother.

"The music, Haruka. You express yourself through music."

She smiled wryly. Yes, she did. Which is exactly why she only played when she was alone or in the presence of her brother, never wanting anyone else to invade her privacy and see through all the masked layers. Only her twin was allowed, he did not need the music to see through her anyway… unlike other people.

"This was beautiful… yet it pained me." He probed realizing that she was not going to answer.

More silence.

"Is this about the marriage?"

She just kept looking at him.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." He foraged his brain for the source of her misery. "Is this about mother?" Judging by the pain flashing through her eyes he finally hit the target. "What happened?"

Haruka let out a deep sigh. "She threatened to disown me if I don't stop playing games and hurting people around me."

Haru raised an eyebrow. "Who are you hurting?"

"According to her… you."

Haru laughed out loud. "You know that is ridiculous. Where did she get that notion from?"

"Something about me picking a new toy that may be broken to your detriment."

"Huh?"

"She thinks I'm playing with your future wife."

"Are you?"

"No."

He gave her an unconvinced glance, but continued nonetheless. "Then why are you so depressed?"

"You should have been there when she talked to me, Haru. I have never seen her like that. She said that I was forcing her to pick between me and the rest of the family, implying that Kaiohs were a part of the rest of the family and suggesting that she would have no problem picking them over me." Haruka got up and walked away from the piano to stand by the window and stare unseeingly at the ocean. "She said that I was a spoiled brat that did not care for anyone but myself, not even you. How can my own mother think that about me? How come she understands you and not me?"

"I don't hide anything from her."

It was a simple answer and, more importantly, she knew it was the right one, but it did nothing to fill the whole that her mother's words left in her heart.

"You think it would be better if I told her? At this rate she would just think I was playing another game and actually disown me."

"Then give her some time. Show her that she's wrong."

Haruka nodded. "That's exactly what I'm doing."

Haru walked up to her from the back and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She accepted the embrace and put her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. They stood silent like that for a while, her agony dissipating more and more with every passing minute of the strong hold. She felt relaxed for the first time that week.

**ooo**

Michiru opened her laptop reluctantly. She finally gave in to her sister's unrelenting nagging about the necessity of putting at least some effort in the upcoming wedding. A week has passed since the announcement of their time-frame, shrinking it to three more weeks. The public announcements have been made, the business arrangements were being worked out by the CEOs, while the actual planning of the event had yet to begin.

She sighed and looked at her sister. "What would you like me to start with?"

"It is your wedding, what would you like to start with?" Nanami replied.

"You know my opinion of this whole thing. I could care less if I got married at the city hall in my lounge-wear."

"You don't have lounge-wear, Michi." Nanami looked at her pointedly. "You're sitting on the couch in the living room of your own home on a Sunday morning wearing a Céline dress."

Michiru rolled her eyes. "It's last season. Besides, you know what I mean."

Nanami grinned at her sister. "Why don't we start with picking you another dress then?"

"Fine." Michiru opened the browser and searched for wedding dresses.

Two hours into their now excited research of the current wedding gown trends they were interrupted by the ringing of a doorbell. They raised their heads and saw the twins escorted into the living room by the butler.

"Morning ladies." Haru greeted cheerfully. All three girls nodded their greetings. Michiru looked at Haru for the explanation of this unexpected visit, trying to ignore the blonde standing next to him.

Haru decided to get straight to the point. "I felt like we were time-constrained and that we should start acting on our responsibility of planning the wedding."

Nanami smiled at him and Michiru felt a wave of appreciation that she would not have to shoulder this ordeal by herself wash over her. Haruka was just standing there pretending that she had absolutely no interest in anything that was going on. She knew her brother decided to partake in the planning process and, under any other circumstances, she would have approved, but, under current circumstances, she simply behaved herself with that newfound resolution to change her mother's opinion of her.

"Do you have a plan?" Nanami was curious.

"Maybe." He smiled at her mischievously. He liked the girl. She was friendly and open, despite the circumstances, and he felt a lot more at ease when she was around.

"So, I thought we could start by grabbing some lunch and getting to know each other a bit more before diving into all the fun. How does that sound?" He directed his question to Michiru.

"Sounds reasonable." She gave him a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.

**ooo**

The wind blew through their hair as Haruka zoomed her Ferrari California through the streets of Tokyo. The speed made the girls in the back seat a bit uncomfortable, so they were quite content when the convertible halted to a stop in front of one of the restaurants in the Ginza district. They got out, twins holding the doors for them in a gentlemanly fashion; Haruka passed the keys to the valet, and they entered the restaurant.

They picked a table in a corner, allowing them some privacy, and took their seats, the siblings taking the same sides. As they talked, the stiffness surrounding them dissipated and they found the company of each other quite enjoyable. That is granted that Haruka and Michiru did not have a direct conversation, both trying to avoid one another as much as possible.

Michiru was trying to avoid Haruka because she still felt bad about what she told her. She felt like she actually fulfilled the promise she made to herself to make someone miserable for what her parents did to her. To her surprise, she did not make her fiance miserable - Haruka fell prey to her vengeance. The feeling of guilt combined with a strange excitement of being next to the blonde she knew so intimately, yet knew nothing of, made her shy away from direct contact and watch her covertly instead. She definitely liked what she saw. The blonde was wearing a dark form-fitting suit, the kind Michiru was fast getting used to seeing her in, and a simple grey blouse. She was mostly quiet, quite out of character in comparison to what the aquanette witnessed at dinner last week, but captivating when she did talk. Michiru buried the thoughts of liking the woman deep down and concentrated on what her sister was telling her fiancé at the moment.

Haruka was trying to avoid Michiru because she knew she would not be able to keep her resolve and behave otherwise. She liked what she saw, she liked what she heard coming out of the younger woman's moth, she just could not forget the fact that the said woman was marrying her brother. And the more she liked Michiru, the more she wanted to hurt her for being likable. How she wished to be able to hate her, that would make it so much easier on her relationship with her brother, yet, she did not. What happened between them happened before either of them knew the truth, besides, it was a one-night stand, no strings attached. She held on to that thought as strong as she could. The only thing that did concern her was the fact that she was not sure Michiru would swing the other way and actually make her brother happy, no matter how likable she was. Her concern for her brother's feelings was what made her feel uneasy… right?

Haruka felt her brother's look and shook off her thoughts. "What?" She asked evenly.

He looked at all of them in turn and grinned. "Well, I thought that since we have only three weeks to plan the wedding, we should make it fun. So I called in the big guns… One big gun actually. I got us a wedding planner." He smiled fully and turned his head to a young man in his mid-twenties approaching them.

Michiru looked at him curiously. _A male wedding planner? Fun indeed._

He was tall, dark-haired and quite attractive. He was wearing a dark suit, tight-fitting printed shirt that was not tucked in and unbuttoned at the top, and dress shoes. He was also sporting a smile that spread from one ear to the other. She followed his line of vision and her eyes fell openly on Haruka for the first time.

The said woman was cleaning the water she had chocked on with her napkin, while staring at the approaching man wide-eyed. As soon as she dried her chin, she jumped up and ran to hang off of the approaching man's neck. "Sora!"

The young man laughed and twirled her around. The site was quite fascinating to Michiru. First of all, the blonde was quite tall herself, so to see a man that would be taller even if she wore heels was… surprising. Second, Michiru has never seen Haruka so happy. Yes, she has not known her that long, but it was quite striking. She found herself holding her breath at the sight, up until she felt a funny feeling starting to knot at the bottom of her stomach and pulled her eyes away.

"Ruka!"

_Ruka? Sora? No honorifics? _Michiru stared down at her salad.

"What are you doing here?"

"Apparently I'm planning a wedding." He kept smiling at her, not letting go yet.

"I didn't realize you were a wedding planner." She returned his smile, not pulling away.

"I am now. Anything for the Siamese."

"The Siamese?" Nanami was confused.

Sora let go of Haruka and turned to face the brunette. "Yes, the Siamese. They are conjoined through an invisible thread, I believe they refer to it as 'the bond'." He smiled at the young girl.

"Endo Sora." He bowed to the table.

"Kaioh Nanami and this is my sister Michiru."

"Pleasure." He turned to face a smirking Haru. "No hug from you?" He pretended to pout.

Haru got up and hugged Sora in the same way his sister had earlier, absent the twirling around. They parted and Sora got an extra chair from a nearby table.

"We met Sora when we were in college in the US." Haru started his explanation as they all sat down. "He's the best event planner there is, albeit he does not usually do weddings, but he is phenomenal at everything he does, so I'm sure we can just take a back seat and enjoy the rest of the ride."

Sora erupted in bolts of laughter. "Don't listen to him, he over-exaggerates everything. Though, I am definitely intending for all of us to have fun with this thing you got going on."

Haruka laughed. "Never thought I would say that, but I really missed you. Only you would call a wedding "this thing you got going on"." Her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Awww, my princess missed me…" He kept laughing as a straw from Haruka's drink barely missed his head. "What, changed your mind again?"

Michiru could not help but smile at the scene in front of her. She was not sure how effective this man would be as a wedding planner, but he was definitely entertaining. She watched him as he grew semi-serious and turned to face her.

"So, Kaioh-san, do you have any thoughts on your wedding?"

"I have a lot of thoughts on my wedding, but very few on the planning of the event… and please, first name is just fine, otherwise me and my sister will get confused not knowing who is being addressed." She dramatized. Nanami rolled eyes at her.

Sora nodded in acceptance. "Haru?" He looked at his friend, who shook his head.

"Haru-sequel?" Sora looked at his other friend. She raised an eyebrow, he raised his in return communicating through his look that the undercurrent between her and the bride was not missed by him. She caved in and shook her head.

"Alright then." He rubbed his hands excitedly before pulling out his iPhone and flicking to his schedule. "I have been told that I have your undivided attention for the next three weeks, so here is the plan:

Monday, Tuesday - venue

Wednesday - guest list/invitations

Thursday - menu

Friday - cake

Saturday, Sunday - dresses

Monday - tuxes

Tuesday - music, etc.

Wednesday - seating arrangements, decorations, etc.

Thursday - photographer

Friday, Saturday, Sunday - trip to the mountains to de-stress

Monday - fittings

Tuesday - beauty, hair, makeup

Wednesday - last minute things

Thursday - rehearsal

Friday - bachelor and bachelorette parties

Saturday - the 'thing'

Sunday - happily ever after

Don't bother remembering any of this, I have it all down and scheduled right here." He looked up and found all four of them staring at him completely dumbfounded.

"I made a few calls…" Sora tried to defend himself.

"A few calls?" "Trip to the mountains?" "Happily ever after?" They all spoke in unison, the last phrase thrown out by both Michiru and Haruka.

"Yes." He looked at them levely. "Any more questions?"

"No." They either replied or shook their heads in response.


	8. The Symphony

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**The Symphony**

_Monday_

The black limo pulled in front of the beach house. Sora swiftly got out of the back and rang the doorbell. It was answered within seconds by a fully awake and energized Haruka.

"Sora." She gave him a welcoming hug. Her happiness seemed to die down as she noticed the car waiting in the driveway. "Of all things, you decided to drive around in a limo?"

He chuckled knowing that she was disappointed. "Sorry, princess, you'll have to jail your racing spirit inside a more spacious car that will fit all five of us. Besides, it pays to have a driver when you run from one place to another."

She sighed. "Fine. You want to come in? Haru is just finishing his coffee."

"I would love to, but we have places to be, so why don't you hurry him up and meet me in the car?"

She nodded in agreement and disappeared behind the door.

They picked up the girls and started working on the first thing they had on their agenda: venue. No one seemed to care or have any idea as to where the wedding should take place. Haru wanted to do whatever Michiru wanted, Michiru could care less, and their sisters did not partake on the discussion. Sora started realizing quite quickly that this may not be as easy as he thought, nor as enjoyable. Being the optimist that he was, though, he decided not to give up yet.

That resolve was fading by the time they got to a restaurant for dinner. They spent a long and quite exhausting day driving all over the town. He already had a number of places scheduled to be shown to them, anticipating the absence of suggestions from the bride and the groom. They visited everything from gardens, to tea houses, to beaches, to standard wedding venues inside the convention center, and still found nothing. What frustrated him the most was the fact that he got very little feedback. The attitude towards finding the right place did not change throughout the day. He tried to look to Haruka for some help, but was quickly shut down, leaving Nanami to be his only insight on what was a definite "no."

He sighed deeply as he sat down. The table was consumed by silence - a product of exhaustion more than anything else. He felt like he needed a hard drink and was thankful that they were in a restaurant with a full bar. He watched as the rest of his party ordered non-alcoholic beverages and sighed again, this time inwardly.

"Can I get a Grey Goose dirty martini and two mojitos?"

That finally got him some attention.

"It's been only a day and you also feel like drowning your sorrow? Welcome to the club." Haruka smirked at him.

"No, love. I need to drown my frustration. You need to drown your sorrow, and then you will help me figure this _thing_ out."

Michiru looked at him puzzled, curious at the meaning of his words. Was Haruka sorrowful? Was that why she behaved so different from what she thought her to be? She was starting to look forward to the interactions between the two friends… for entertainment if nothing else.

"I am not the one getting married, I don't need to drown my sorrow. Give it to Haru."

"I did order you both drinks, you both need to come out of it. Though, judging by the fact that your tongue is returning its vile I can tell that you are finally about to join our presence." He turned to the bride. "I'm sorry Michiru-san, please pay no heed to Harukan's words, this is how she deals with the world when it decides to knock at the iron doors of her heart."

Haru laughed at his friend's comment and looked at grinning Michiru. He knew that bringing Sora in was a good idea for more reason than one. It is true that he was a phenomenal event planner, but, more importantly, he was the only person outside their family to be close enough to him and his sister to understand them both and to pull them together when needed. He was sincerely hoping that Sora would be there to lend his shoulder to Haruka during this process, when Haru himself could not.

Haruka welcomed her favorite drink after Sora's retort. She hungrily sipped on its coolness and felt pieces of crushed mint tease her insides. She raised her eyes and found Michiru staring at her with a slightly open mouth. Before anyone else could notice that or Michiru embarrassed herself in any other way, Haruka pushed the glass towards the smaller woman.

"Here, you look like you need to drown… whatever it is… you are feeling right now."

Michiru quietly grabbed the drink and slightly bit the straw as she inhaled half of the green liquid.

"Easy tiger, we will still need you tomorrow." Nanami quipped.

Haru pushed his drink towards his sister, smiling.

"I am not giving my martini to anyone!" They all laughed at the greedy expression on Sora's face.

"Don't worry, we can always get more." Haru reassured him as he watched the waitress approach to get their order.

They savaged their food, trying to restore at least some of the energy wasted throughout the day. Once the feeling of satisfaction started to settle in, Sora ordered another round of drinks, this time for everyone at the table.

"So, princess, you've been quiet all day, I had no help whatsoever. I got you your drinks. Your sorrow has been drowned. You owe me."

"You think you can buy me with a drink and a half?" _You think a drink and a half can drown my sorrow?_

"No, but you still owe me." He raised a pointed brow at her.

"Now you decide to call it in? No fair!"

"Hey I never complained about your timing or fairness -"

"You had nothing to complain about!"

"In respect to timing may be so, in respect to complaining -"

She raised a hand in defeat to silence him before he spilled something she did not want to become public.

"FINE! What do you want?"

"First - the venue. What are your thoughts?" He smiled in satisfaction.

Haruka sighed remembering the useless waste of her day. She did not care about the venue, just like everyone else, but if she did, she still did not see anything appropriate.

"Nothing of what we saw today." The rest of the party nodded in agreement. She contemplated for a little while.

"We are in the business that provides venues, why not just use one of them?"

Haru almost slapped himself at the obviousness of that idea. "Anything in particular you have in mind?" He looked at her, a tiny light of hope starting to shine in his eyes.

"Hmm… How about at The tRi?

**ooo**

_Tuesday_

The tRi was an entertainment complex Tenoh Group and Kaioh Group have recently finished together. At its core was a triangle (giving it the name of "The tRi" for short) that connected a boutique luxury hotel, an art gallery and a pavilion. The hotel had seventy-five suites, each uniquely designed by a different artist. The art gallery currently housed a visual arts exhibit, and the pavilion served as a venue for anything from a classical concert to a dance party, having an ability to be completely transformed based on the needs of the client.

Sora was walking through the triangular court and wondering how on Earth he could miss this jewel. It was perfect. He already had a set up in mind, but wanted to see what the rest of his company thought before investing himself too much in the place.

"Thoughts?" He looked inquisitively into their faces.

"I think it's very promising." Nanami answered first.

"I agree, I still cannot believe I forgot about this." Haru looked sheepishly at his fiancée, waiting for her response.

"I love it."

They all looked at her, surprised. Michiru did not lie. She thought it was beautifully designed in its modernity and that the idea of having those three venues together, yet separate, was unparalleled. This line of thought may have come to be because she could live at The tRi and never have the need to visit the outside world again. She had everything she needed: a hotel to live in, a concert hall to perform at and an art gallery to exhibit her and Nanami's paintings. What else could she wish for? It was almost like it was designed for her.

"I think it is beautiful and I find the combination of uses of the complex utmost fitting. I never thought I would say this, but I would love to have my wedding here."

A collective sigh of relief escaped them.

"Well, I guess we can thank Ruka-chan twice for that one." Haru smiled gratefully at his sister.

"How so?" Nanami, ever so curious, asked.

"She remembered about it." They nodded. "And this place was her idea brought to life under her watchful eye."

Michiru looked at the blushing blonde in surprise.

"Sora is right. You are over exaggerating too much."

"Is it not true?" Haru rolled his eyes at her.

"It is, but you don't have to put me on the spot for it."

"And since when do you care about being on the spot?" Haru pondered.

"Since you are painting me in an uncharacteristic light."

"The uncharacteristic light being that of someone who can come up with a brilliant idea, sell it to the board, get a partnership with another company, and see the project all the way through to its successful completion at an astounding profit to everyone involved as opposed to a brainless party girl?" He was running out of breath.

"Exactly." She grinned at him.

"Wow, I am sorry, blondy, I take it back. You are useless… unless you are half-naked on the dance floor."

"I second that last part!" Sora felt the slap on the back of his head.

"Don't talk about my sister like that you pervert!" Haru scowled playfully.

"Okay, Okay, jeez… you guys forgot how to take jokes."

Nanami and Michiru were starting to enjoy this hole planning process immensely. Both felt like they have not encountered entertainment of this quality in quite some time, so they took the back seat and enjoyed the show.

Sora finally found his professional alter ego and let them in on his plan. The ceremony will be held at the pavilion. The dinner will be in the courtyard, allowing the views of the sunset and giving the crews time to clean out the pavilion and set it up for late-night entertainment, i.e. dancing. The gallery will be open to the guests so that they could stroll through in-between the action, or if they felt like they were bored. The hotel would be used for the most prominent guests and family members. It all made sense. It all fell perfectly together. The bride and the groom both felt like something was going well for the first time.

**ooo**

_Friday_

The rest of the week flew by. They sent out invitations, chose the caterer and the menu and finally settled on the cake. Michiru and Nanami increasingly took pleasure in the process, thanks to Sora, who seemed like the glue bonding the rest of them together.

They were sitting at a table at an outdoor café, enjoying a late afternoon cup of coffee.

"Do you guys still follow the Friday night tradition?" Sora inquired.

"Not as of a week ago." Haru answered.

"Why not?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Just because you do not have a need to pick up girls anymore, doesn't mean that you shouldn't go out. It is still fun, you know?"

Haru was staring at him with his mouth agape.

"Did I catch the desire to find a companion for yourself in that statement Sora?" Haruka closed her brother's mouth with her index finger.

"Princess, you know you're the only woman in my life, but it would serve you good to get some-"

He did not get a chance to finish the sentence as Haru stepped hard on his foot under the table.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Would you guys like to go out dancing with me tonight?" He looked at the Kaioh sisters, purposefully ignoring the blondes.

"I would!" Nanami did not need him to ask twice.

"I don't know. I don't think I have any good shoes to wear."

Nanami stared at Michiru, who was uncharacteristically materialistic. 'Could she come up with a better excuse?' She watched as Michiru sipped on her cappuccino with a smug smirk.

"I have a pair of Louboutin boots I can lend you. They are leather, over the knee, stiletto heel… very sexy… they would look great on you." Haruka watched the younger woman choke on her drink with satisfaction.

Michiru was desperately trying to restore normal breathing. She could still see those boots being removed from Haruka's legs by Michiru's own hands.

"No… thank you."

"As you wish."

**ooo**

There were five of them. Though they were dancing together, it was obvious that someone was an extra wheel, so Haruka took it on herself to semi-separate from the group. She was still next to them, but she accepted occasional random dance partners, being careful to pointedly and quite forwardly avoid the men. She found this arrangement convenient, since the could turn back to her group and completely ignore an advance at any time. She continued drowning her sorrow and avoiding seeing the aquanette at all cost. But for the extra people present, it reminded her of the night they met tremendously; only today Michiru was dancing with her twin… and she herself was dancing wit random people. That was no different from any other Friday and should have not concerned her at all, yet, somehow it did. So she kept pushing that thought out with the cool minty liquid.

Michiru was not drowning her sorrow as much as Haruka was, so she felt a lot worse. Dancing with Haru in such a close proximity was so… familiar yet new. They looked so alike… so she forced herself to enjoy what she was doing and ignore the other blonde. She looked to her side and saw Sora dancing with Nanami. Her sister seemed to be enjoying their outing a lot. Michiru made a mental note to have a chat on the subject later. Consumed by her thoughts, she did not notice her eyes being drawn to Haruka dancing with… a redhead wearing nothing but one piece of silver cloth. _Is that even a dress?_

Michiru could not look away. She desperately wanted to, she just could not. Her body moved by itself, her attention fully on the blonde. And then she froze. She did not even realize she was no longer moving, she did no care. All she cared about was the feeling that consumed her entire being as she watched the two girls kissing passionately. 'Haruka did not care.'

Of course she did not care, why would she care about their one-night stand. In the end, that is all it was. She was the one that left in the morning and if she did not, Michiru would have. So why did it feel so… devastating to her entire being?

Haru felt Michiru stop before he saw her. He looked at her shocked expression and followed her gaze to Haruka. _Oops…_

"Um… Haruka likes girls. I probably should have mentioned it before, but it just did not feel right."

Michiru looked at him in amazement, happy that he misinterpreted the reason for her reaction.

"I'm sorry, I hope you are okay with that."

Her? Okay with that? She laughed inwardly. Yes, she was definitely okay with that, she would be perfect with that, as soon as she tore that redhead away from Haruka and stomped her into the ground with her heels.

"I'm fine with that. I was just… surprised." She gave him a tired smile. "It is getting late and we still have a long day tomorrow. Would you mind taking me and Nanami home?"

Haru looked at Nanami that was enjoying herself in uncertainty, but decided not to press his luck twice that night. "Of course, no problem."

They let the dancing couple know that they were leaving. Though disappointed, Nanami followed her sister, knowing the real reason behind the sudden departure. She was not blind. Haru grabbed Sora's keys, asking him to make sure that Haruka did not drive her California back. Sora agreed, walked them out of the club and set at the bar upon his return.

Haruka broke away from a kiss that seemed to last forever. She felt nothing. I was not even the fact that the girl was not in her taste, it was the fact that on a basic human level, even being drunk out of her mind she felt nothing. No attraction, no satisfaction, no desire. She looked at where the rest of her group used to be and did not see them. She abruptly turned and left the redhead without another word or glance.

She found Sora sitting at the bar, drinking out of a mineral water bottle.

"Can you get me out of here?"

He nodded and extended his hand for her keys. He decided against taking her back to the beach house and settled on the penthouse instead. As soon as they got into the door, Haruka bolted straight for the bathroom. After emptying the contents of her stomach and vowing to never do this to herself again, she got out and found Sora patiently waiting on one of the living room couches.

"Feeling better?"

"No."

His expression did not change. "What's going on between you and Michiru?"

"Nothing is going on between us."

"I wasn't born yesterday. What happened between you and Michiru?"

Haruka sat down opposite to him and closed her eyes. There were only three men she allowed in her life: her father, by nature of their relationship; her brother, they were bonded together; and Sora. Sora, being her only friend other than her brother. Their friendship was a product of Haruka being unable to find friends among girls - they were subject of attraction, not friendship, and Sora's surprisingly acute ability to understand her. That being so and her being unable to share this with her brother, she saw no reason to hide it from him.

"I met her at a club on a Friday a couple of weeks ago."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"And you decided not to tell Haru because…"

"It is irrelevant and there is nothing we can change."

"Riiight."

She looked at him. "What would you have me do? Run to Haru, tell him that I slept with his future wife and ask for forgiveness? Or, better yet, beg him to stop the wedding and let me be with her instead?"

"Well, that does sound like something most normal people that have feelings for someone would do."

"I don't have feelings for her. Even if I did, I am much more concerned about Haru's feelings in this matter than mine."

Sora furrowed his brows. "You don't have to deny your feelings in front of me, I can see them as plainly as I could see… That's besides the point. Have you ever thought of thinking about yourself and not your twin?"

"Not when it will hurt him."

"Aren't you concerned that someone else's feelings are involved?"

"_IF_ she had any feelings for me, for the sakes of the argument, knowing that I am not concerned about my own feelings when they are to my brother's detriment, do you think I would be concerned about hers?"

Sora flinched from the harshness of her words.

"Honestly? I do. I think that you may sacrifice yourself, but never the ones you love. The question is, which one of them do you love more?"


	9. Playing Dress Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Playing Dress Up**

"Yeah, I figured I would let her sleep in."

"Of course."

"We'll see you there in an hour."

"Thanks."

Sora hang up his cell phone and entered the bedroom.

"Wake up sleeping beauty, time to go ride the pumpkin."

An angry grunt from underneath the blankets was all he got.

"Ruka-chan, I am not kidding, I let you sleep in and we have to be there in less than an hour. There is a pot of fresh coffee waiting for you in the kitchen. Get your ass out of bed and into the shower."

"Ugh... You are worse than Haru." She scowled at him. "I'm taking the day off. You can pick dresses without me, I have no interest in them anyway." She pulled the blankets over her head again.

"Your mother and Kaioh-san will be joining us today, I don't think you want to disrespect their presence by not being there, do you?"

That got her attention. She threw the blanket away angrily and jumped off the bed. "I hate you. You did not have to bring in mother to make my day even worse than it already is." She disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door.

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter." Sora mumbled to himself as he went to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee for the angry blonde.

**ooo**

Michiru was not having a good day. As a matter of fact, it was one of the worst days she had lately, with the exception of the bloody Sunday. She was annoyed that she had to get up early on a Saturday morning after going out the night before; she was annoyed that she had to pick a wedding dress; and she was annoyed that her mother and her friend decided to join them. This was going to be a long day.

The source of her annoyance, of course, had nothing to do with all those things. The source of her annoyance left the club with a red-headed woman last night and probably had a great night. Michiru was not looking forward to seeing the happy blonde.

They got out of the limo and entered a dress boutique. She greeted her fiancé and turned to greet Sora, which forced her to do a double-take. Her fiancé was standing next to Sora. She just kept looking from one twin to the other, trying to figure out which was which. As her family and Nariko caught up with her, she realized that the one scowling must have been Haruka. She was also the one Michiru greeted first.

Nariko looked from Haru to Haruka and similarly guessed who the scowl belonged to.

"Morning Haruka, any particular reason you are dressed like your brother?"

Haruka sighed outwardly and looked at her mother. "I figured you would appreciate that more than the skimpy dirty outfit that was my only alternative."

Nariko raised an eyebrow "And that was the case because?"

She really did not feel like explaining herself in front of all these people. She had a headache, she was trying to compose herself enough not to make her relationship with her mother worse, if that was even possible, yet the latter seemed to be set on inquiring into everything Haruka did. She felt like screaming.

"It is my fault, Tenoh-san." Sora put in. "I persuaded everyone to go out last night and then took Haruka home with me, so she never got a chance to get to the beach house and change."

_Great Sora! Just great! Never mind the inferences mother will put into that statement._ She looked impishly at her mother and confirmed her thoughts by the slight blush creeping up her mother's neck.

"Oh…" Nariko smiled quickly at her daughter and shifted her attention to something else.

Haruka gave Sora a killer look before following the Kaiohs further into the boutique. Sora and Haru sighed in unison, though for different reasons, and closed up the ranks of followers.

Michiru was confused. First she thought the blonde left with the girl she was so fervently kissing. Then, the blonde was dressed like a man and looked like her fiancé because she did not spend the night at home. Lastly, she spent the night with Sora? What was that supposed to mean? Her confusion added to her annoyance.

As a result of being annoyed at everything, especially the wedding, Michiru refused every dress. Sora quickly arranged for them to visit other shops, but the result was the same. She had all the input she needed, and more, from her sister, her mother, and her future mother-in-law, but she just did not find anything that felt right. Then again, how could it feel right? It would be right if she was getting married because she loved her fiancé, not because she was told to do so. She sighed as she looked in the mirror again. She turned around and shook her head at the tired faces.

Haruka watched Michiru go through dozens of dresses and was becoming more and more annoyed by the hour. Her head hurt, she was bored, even though watching the dresses accentuate Michiru's figure in different ways was kind of fun, and she just wanted to get out of there. For goodness sake, they have been doing this all day! She looked at the aquanette and braced herself for what was to come for her butting in.

"Michiru-san, if you pretended that this was your actual dream wedding, not an arranged one, would you happen to have an image of a particular dress you would like in mind?"

She saw Nariko's reaction from the corner of her eye and saw Haru restrain their mother by squeezing her arm.

Michiru thought about the question and tried to imagine the circumstances being different. A certain blonde came to mind, though the image was not too remote from her current situation… 'What was the question again? Ah, the dress…' She had to admit that she did have an image in mind. If she thought about it earlier, she would have also found out that she was going through the dresses trying to find the one that was most similar to that image, she just never did. She looked in the emerald eyes and smiled.

Haruka returned the smile as she dialed a number on the phone that was already in her hand.

"Moshi moshi. Tenoh here -"

"I've been better and yourself? -"

"Good. I was wondering how busy tomorrow looks for you -"

"I have a friend who is in dear need of a wedding gown in two weeks -"

"Yes, I do have friends, but their ranks are very limited -"

"I appreciate that. We will see you there at one."

Her eyes never left Michiru's throughout the short conversation. She put the phone away and sank deeper into the chair, if that was possible.

"We have an appointment with Gato Yori tomorrow at one o'clock. She will make you a wedding dress based on the image you have in mind."

Stunned silence was the perfect response for her taste, so she welcomed it with open arms… until Nanami decided to squeal and make her headache worse.

"Gato Yori? Gato Yori! How?" Nanami was literally jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

"I will tell you if you stop making that noise." Haruka grimaced at the girl.

Nanami promptly sat back down in her chair and waited for the explanation. Gato Yori was an up and coming fashion designer that made it big around the world within the last two years. Her fame did not escape Italy and both Kaioh sisters went to the fashion shows were Gato was featured. Nanami was ecstatic. Michiru was shocked. She just kept looking at the obviously annoyed and hurting blonde with the most grateful expression she could master.

"You would not believe how many connections you get by having a busy social schedule. Gato-san owes me a favor." Short and sweet. 'Please don't ask me to tell you a movie-length story of how I met her…'

"I see." Nanami decided not to get on the dangerous ground with the blonde, she still remembered those threatening emerald eyes. Instead, she turned to Michiru. "What do you think?"

"I appreciate it very much." Michiru smiled at Haruka for the umpteenth time.

"Any time." To her own surprise, Haruka actually meant it. She stole a glance at the older women and found both of them looking at her with appreciation. That was a look she has not seen from her mother in a while. She looked at her brother and he gave her an encouraging wink, knowing full well that she just made a first step to patching her relationship with their mother. Haruka allowed a half smile to appear at the corner of her mouth for the first time that day.

**ooo**

Michiru woke up earlier than usual, even though she actually had an opportunity to sleep in. She got out of bed and briskly trotted to her sister's bedroom. She opened the door to the semi-dark room and jumped in the bed.

"Michiru, we do not have to be there until 1PM, that is six hours from now, and it is a Sunday. Go away." Nanami pulled the blanket over her head and turned away from Michiru.

"Oh, come on, aren't you excited?" Michiru tugged on the blanket.

"Extremely… and I will go back to that state when I am fully awake, which will not happen for a few hours. Go away." She wrapped herself tighter.

"Come… on… I will not be able to jump in your bed in the morning soon enough, so you will have your beauty sleep as much as you want…" Michiru whined.

"Ugh… Isn't it convenient to use the marriage when you need it…" Nanami unwrapped herself and turned around nevertheless.

Michiru just smiled at her and lowered herself, pulling the blanket over and looking at the ceiling.

"So what do you think?"

"You came to my bed at seven in the morning to quiz me?"

"I am not quizzing you… I am inquiring into my sister's thoughts."

Nanami sighed. It was too early for bickering in her book.

"I think that it is not as bad as it could have been. The wedding planning turned out to be quite fun and I think I like them, despite the circumstances. You?"

"Yeah, I agree… I just wish we were planning someone else's wedding…" She kept her eyes on the ceiling.

"I know. But there is nothing you can do. Maybe you two can at least become friends?"

"Maybe." She could definitely picture that, being friends with Haru… he obviously knew about his sister's preferences. Maybe Michiru could tell him about hers and maybe they could figure it out together… 'That's a lot of maybes.'

"Speaking of friends, you and Sora seem to be enjoying each other's company."

"We are." She mirrored Michiru's position. "He is funny and nice… and attractive. I like him."

Michiru smiled to the ceiling. "I know. I like him too, though not in the way that you do."

"You better not, that would make this whole family situation into an even bigger mess…"

Nanami felt a pillow land on her face. Her muffled chuckle made Michiru smile wider. She turned and hugged her little sister. "I love you."

"I love you too."

**ooo**

Now they were both ecstatic; their excitement building upon each other's. They were impatiently waiting inside the limo for the rest of their party, namely the Tenoh twins, to join them. Finally the door opened and the brother got inside, positioning himself on the side, facing the Kaioh girls. Haruka followed him in and Michiru's breath caught. She was wearing a skirt! Granted that her black leather outfit made her look like a warrior princess, she was wearing a skirt! Michiru felt that she was about to faint from forgetting about the necessary function of breathing. She felt an elbow jab her in the ribs and finally took in a deep breath.

"I would never have thought you to be so in tune with fashion, Haruka-san." Michiru forced out.

Haruka raised an eyebrow at her. "My Armani suits were not indication enough?"

"Your Armani suits are boring. This…" she pointedly gave her a toe to head once-over "… on the other hand is very fun. You should wear skirts more often."

Haruka burst out laughing. "Michiru-san, if I did not know any better, I would think that you are actually enjoying the sight of my legs…" She looked her in the eyes communicating that she did know that to be a fact.

"Good thing you know better then." Michiru felt like she may have been a bit too forward with their mothers present in the car, but she was too hyped up on adrenalin of excitement to care.

"But it does go well with your character… all you need now is a bike."

"My cars are not sexy enough for you?" Haruka could not stop herself from playing along. "I do have a bike, Michiru-san… maybe we should go for a ride after you figure out your dress…"

"I do like your cars, I just think the bike would complement your outfit better."

"Says the girl riding the limos." Haruka somehow felt the necessity to defend her cars - they were more significant to her then her lovers.

"You are in a limo, Ruka-chan." Haru decided to partake on the fun.

"Why are you on her side?" She looked at him, pouting.

"I am not taking sides, I am just stating a fact."

"Fine, you may not take my cars to the track until you are forgiven."

"You race?" Nanami found something she did not know about the blondes yet and jumped on it.

"I race, Haru-chan takes my cars for a ride on the tracks."

"Ouch. That hurt. I may not be as fast as you are, but that is only because I actually value my life." He pretended to be wounded.

"Good. I will help further your cause by eliminating all possibility of you hurting yourself at the tracks... by not letting you take my cars." Haruka gave him a malevolent grin.

"Fine. Then you may not take _my_ Ducati to ride with _my _fiancée." Haru crossed his hands in front of his chest and returned the grin.

"I don't remember agreeing to any rides…" Michiru put in. She got two identical glares in return, telling her that this had nothing to do with her whatsoever. She shut her mouth and kept watching the show.

"Fine. Admit that you love my cars and we will go back to sharing."

"Fine. I like your cars."

Nariko was smiling at her children's bickering, happy that the atmosphere was no longer grave and that all of the young people seemed to enjoy each other's company. She looked at her friend, who reached for her had and squeezed it tight, content that things seemed to be working out as well.

They got out of what looked like a commercial elevator and found themselves in the middle of a vast space that occupied most of the floor and strongly reminded them of a warehouse. People were running all over the place, different sounds mixing into a busy tune of a work chaos.

_I thought today was Sunday._ Michiru was amazed that this place was boiling with activity. They continued to walk further in, Haruka leading the way, in search of the designer they came to see.

"Gato-san!"

She concentrated her attention away from all the exciting things happening around them and on to Haruka, who approached a small woman that was busily ordering people around.

"Tenoh-san!" She turned around and bowed to Haruka ever so slightly. "Balenciaga… what is it? Look 12? Suits you very well… you truly should consider my request and model for my next show Tenoh-san."

Haruka's deep laughter added to the mix of other sounds. "You know it costs you dearly… yet you still ask?"

"Well making a dress within two weeks is not that big of a deal, dear." Yori ignored the rest of the group and continued acknowledging only the blonde.

"Right before your collection is supposed to come out? I remember you a lot more forward than this, Gato-san."

"Being in need of a model will do wonders to one's character. Anyhow, just think about it."

"I'm still not convinced about becoming a peacock for the sakes of having your favors in the future, but I do have a proposition in mind, which we should discuss at a later time." She waved her head towards the rest of the group.

"Right… so who is the lucky bride?" Yori finally turned her attention to the rest of them.

"I am." Michiru jumped in, happy about her status for the first time.

Yori gave her a very open appraising look and seemed to be satisfied with what she saw. "I can definitely work with that." She nodded, turning around and proceeding to an area full of work surfaces filled with different fabrics, mannequins and mirrors. The rest followed, realizing that she really did not care about any of them whatsoever. Yori got a piece of random white fabric, threw it on a mannequin and looked at Michiru. "So, what did you have in mind?"

Nariko and Miho left their children after the first hour. Having witnessed the interaction among the five, they were no longer worried and grew tired of the curt designer quite quickly. Unbeknown to them, their departure was met by a collective sigh of relief.

Michiru was having a time of her life watching Yori play with different fabrics and arranging shapes based on the image Michiru had in mind, yet taking it so much further. She completely lost track of time and was surprised when Sora complained about being hungry. She looked at her watch and realized that it was past six o'clock at night. Have they been here for so long? She looked at the dress that was coming to life on the mannequin. It was sewn together roughly, just enough to hold the form, but she could definitely envision the final product.

They settled on a corset top that transformed into waves of fabric flowing weightlessly to the ground below the waste line. The simplicity of the top was highly contrasted by the many layers of the bottom. The bodice was simple white silk, absent of any print or décor. The layered fabric flowing to the bottom was matte silk, so light that it was virtually see-through if you separated the layers. Though not noticeable with the dress hanging the way it was, on the right side the layers would part when Michiru walked, allowing a glimpse at a bright blue silk of the very bottom layer. It was a fascinating contrast to the purity of the elegant white on the surface; like a spark deep inside, hidden from the outside world but for that moment when Michiru walked and let them in on her little secret… so much like the person meant to wear the dress.

She sighed in appreciation, again. After they said their thank yous and bid goodbyes to the busy designer, they left in search of something that would satiate their hunger.

The limo pulled in front of the beach house. Haru bid his goodbyes and got out first. Haruka got up to follow her brother, then grabbed Michiru's wrist on impulse.

"Let's go."

"Where?" Michiru was taken aback by the blonde's actions.

"I promised to give you a ride on my bike." She looked at Sora and Nanami. "I will bring her home." She did not leave any room for arguments.

"As I mentioned before, I never agreed to going with you." Michiru stepped out of the limo nonetheless, the pulling force not subsiding. The door behind her closed and the limo rolled down the driveway.

"Looks like you don't have any other choice… unless you want to stay with us tonight."

Michiru grunted. She was not sure if she was annoyed at being bossed around or happy at the opportunity to be alone with the blonde. Being grateful for what Haruka has done for her today, though, she decided to set her feelings aside and just do what the blonde wanted her to.

They entered a large garage and she was surprised to see Haru standing by the Ducati with a helmet in each of his hands. Judging by the expression on her face, Haruka was a bit surprised too.

"How did you know?" She let go of Michiru's hand when they halted in front of him.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Seriously." She took her helmet from his head and nodded her thanks.

"Keep it down to double digits, I still want Michiru-san to be whole for our wedding." He smiled at his fiancée.

"Boring. Don't worry. She'll be there in one piece when the time comes." Haruka looked at him seriously and hopped on the menacing-looking bike.

"So? Sexy enough for you?" She grinned at Michiru that was getting a helmet from Haru.

Michiru decided to keep her response to herself, at least until they were alone. She hid her face under the helmet instead and got on the bike behind the blonde.

Haru waved goodbye to them and walked away, frowning about something only he knew.

Haruka felt the younger woman's hands hug her tightly around the waist and second-guessed her decision. She sped out of the garage door, leaving her hesitations behind and hoping that they would not catch up with her at this speed.

The night was very warm and quiet. They zoomed through the streets, eventually coming to a stop at a secluded beach. Haruka turned off the bike and took off her helmet. She looked straight ahead of herself in deep thought.

"I love this place. It is so peaceful and private." She did not get any response and did not move herself. "You can let go of me now, you are not going to fall off the bike while we are standing."

Michiru came out of her stupor and let go, taking her helmet off as well. The speed was in the triple digits and she now fully understood why Haru wanted her back in one piece.

"You come to a secluded beach to be alone and in peace when you live on the beach?" It did not really make sense to her.

"You can see the lights of Tokyo above the bay from here. I think it's beautiful." Haruka replied simply.

It was. Michiru got off the bike, took her shoes off and ran to the shore. She walked into the water to the point that her dress allowed and felt the waves wash away all her worries and concerns. She felt Haruka step behind her, wrapping her arms around Michiru's waist and putting her chin on her shoulder. So much like she did back in the hotel room when they were looking out at the lights. Michiru covered Haruka's arms with her own and leaned back into the embrace.

They stood like that for a while, neither wanting to break that moment of internal peace. Finally Michiru felt herself shiver slightly, the coolness of the water finally breaking through her other senses. Haruka felt it and tilted her head to look at the aquanette.

"I should take you home before you catch a cold."

Michiru nodded in silence. She felt a brief kiss on her temple before a warm body left her and she felt utterly void.


	10. Tango

Disclaimer: The title was inspired by "It's All About Us" song by t.A.T.u., but this story has nothing to do with it.

I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS **RATED "M" **for sexual content.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Tango**

Monday was reserved for tuxes, but became a tux/bridesmaid's dress day instead. It was decided for obvious reasons that Nanami would be Michiru's maid of honor, while Haruka would be Haru's best "man." They picked out a blue dress for Nanami, to match the bottom layer of Michiru's dress - a process that did not take nearly as much time as everyone thought it would. Haru and Haruka settled on matching tuxes, distinguishable only by the difference in their vest colors: white for the groom and blue for the best "man."

Tuesday was something Michiru was looking forward to: being an avid musician herself, she could not pick just any band to play at her wedding. In fact, they settled on a small local orchestra for the ceremony and on a popular DJ for the party.

What Michiru did not realize Sora included in their schedule was a visit to a dance studio. She looked at the flamboyant dance instructor again and sighed.

"I know how to dance." She mumbled under her breath, though those surrounding her caught it.

"Wonderful, then we will be out of here in no time!" Sora looked at her playfully.

"OK… OK… show me what you've got." The instructor clapped his hands and looked at them expectantly.

Michiru and Haru performed a waltz for their observers, just like they did some time ago at the banquet, with perfect poise. Nanami got bored through the middle of it, so she grabbed Sora and started mimicking the soon to be married couple, while making funny faces, Sora obliging her wish and going with her antics, adding some of his own along the way.

To their chagrin, the first words out of the instructor's mouth after the music died down were: "I agree with the brunette."

They looked at him in awe, having expected a reprimand for Nanami's and Sora's disrespect.

"You dance well, that is not a question, but your dance is boring. There are no feelings in it. You will put your guests to sleep. No waltz for you." He walked around the group of people in circles, thinking. "Endo-san."

Sora turned around to face the pacing instructor and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Take the other blonde and do a tango for me. I want them to see what I mean."

Sora looked at Haruka, who just shrugged. Haru watched with the Kaioh sisters as Sora and Haruka got in a starting pose, waiting for the music to begin. Once it did, they started moving, their bodies intimately close, their moves fluid and suggestive. Their eyes were closed, they were consumed by the music and the dance.

The Kaioh sisters watched them dance with wide eyes, both knowing full well that Haruka would definitely not make love to a man, yet almost feeling like that was exactly what she was doing.

"They look like…" Nanami was searching for the right word.

"Lovers?" Haru tried to help her out.

"Something of that sort." Nanami still could not pin it down.

"They used to date."

"They _what_?!" Michiru span around in shock.

Haru chuckled, again mistakenly taking her reaction for a confusion about his sister's preference.

"Our parents used to set her up on all kinds of dates to find her a husband, but she rejected every one of them. To please them and make sure that they left her alone, she pretended to date Sora when we visited for vacations while we were in college. He came with us a couple of times. Then they officially broke up when we graduated, but remained very close friends."

"So they never actually dated." Michiru clarified.

"You may say that." Haru reminisced on the past. "I think there truly was something deeper than friendship there though. For Sora I know that for a fact. For Haruka, I think it was the time she learned that even if she ever had feelings for someone, it was not enough if they were not the right gender… I think she still loves him in a way, knowing that he is the only man she ever so much as looked at without outward dislike outside of me and Otou-san."

Michiru found that explanation comforting, but utmost surprising. Haruka actually had feelings for a man? It was true that she had them absent any physical relationship, but how is that even possible? Could Michiru do that? Could she have feelings for Haru? Though, she would actually have to have a physical relationship as well… the idea of explaining her own orientation and hoping that he would treat her as he did his sister seemed better and better.

The two dancing figures came to a stop as the music died off.

"This is what I mean!" The instructor rubbed his hands excitedly. "Passion. Show it. If you don't have it - learn how to fake it."

Is that what she was going to have to do? Fake her feelings for the world to think that she was happily married? She inwardly shook her head in despair.

They walked back to the center of the room and started out again.

Haruka caught Nanami's eyes. "You should go have fun, this will take a while."

Nanami nodded and accepted Sora's extended hand. Haruka sat down on the floor and prepared herself for another boring stay.

*** * ***

They visited tRi on Wednesday to discuss the seating arrangements and decorations. They agreed on a white theme, accented with the now well-known to them blue. The rest of the details were supplied by an overly-excited Nanami and agreed upon by the rest.

They were done by two o'clock, leaving them time for something Sora meant to do a while back, but forgot to put into his schedule. He told the driver an address as the rest of them got in the limo.

"I hope you will not mind a slight change in plans." He said as he took his seat next to Nanami. "I meant to do this before, but we just never had enough time."

"Oh?" Haru looked up at him expectantly.

"I think we are missing an important component of the wedding."

They thought about it, but had no idea what he was hinting at. He gave up.

"The rings."

Now he got several "Ohs" from the other passengers.

They entered the jewelry store and were blinded by the selection. Haruka quickly realized that this would turn into another lengthy process of "I don't knows" and sighed. She watched them go from one case to the next for a while to confirm her suspicions and finally unglued herself from the wall when she figured she has seen enough.

"Sora, you and I are leaving."

They all looked up at her in surprise.

"What? You don't need us here - we can care less about the rings, they are for you. Nanami-san will give you all the input you need." She looked pointedly at the girl, who quickly nodded.

"And may I ask where you are kidnapping me to?" Sora inquired.

"You are going with me to meet _my_ fiancée."

*** * ***

"A car? You pulled me out to go with you to pick up a car?"

"Would you rather watch them pick out rings?"

"Not really."

"Then stop complaining. Trust me, it will be worth your time."

They got out of the limo and approached a simple concrete building that did not have any signage whatsoever.

"Did you have this car stolen for you or something?"

"Nah, I thought about it, but the stolen ones were not available in the color I wanted." She grinned at him, opening the door and following him into a small reception area.

Sora kept quiet because he honestly did not know if Haruka was joking, but hoped that she was.

"Tenoh Haruka, I am here to pick up my car."

The young receptionist looked up from her computer screen and smiled.

"Of course, Tenoh-san. Let me get someone to bring the paperwork and keys for you." She picked up the receiver and quickly spoke to someone on another end of the line.

A short chubby man walked in shortly, carrying a manila envelope.

"Tenoh-san, it is an honor to have you here." He bowed almost to the ground, then raised his puppy-eyes back to Haruka.

"Yeah, I would rather get to the point Ogawa-san." She did not bother to return his pleasantries.

"Yes, of course. Here are all the required papers and the keys. It is waiting for you just beyond these double doors. Please let us know if you have any questions."

Haruka grabbed the envelope and proceeded to the doors, not caring about the man still talking to her. Sora smiled apologetically to the man before hurrying to catch up with the determined blonde. She opened the doors and they entered a large pavilion, only one car sitting in the middle.

"A Bugatti? You got yourself a Bugatti?"

Haruka ignored his shock and walked up to her new baby. It was primarily lemon-yellow, with some bright silver on the sides. Haruka put her hand on the cool metal and traced the smooth curves lovingly. She walked around the car, touching it with utmost sensibility. It felt good… almost as good as it felt to touch Michiru…

She shrugged her thoughts off as her hand landed on the door handle.

"I feel like I should be blushing." Sora was watching Haruka almost make love to the car.

"Don't worry, we are engaged." She replied without breaking her admiration.

"You do not just get engaged to a 1.7 million dollar car, Haruka, you marry it."

She laughed, he joined her.

"Wanna go for a ride?" She turned to him, grinning. "I told you, you wouldn't regret it."

"Hell yes."

She pulled the door open and he got to the passenger side. They both got comfortable, both admiring the interior.

"Any particular reason why the interior of your car is Michiru-san's favorite color?" Sora looked at the blue accents intermingled with the same silver as the exterior.

"Yes, the design team recommended it as complementing to the exterior." Haruka did not skip a beat. It was partially true. The fact that she got two recommendations and picked this one was of no concern to Sora, nor anyone else. She turned the car on and sped towards the tracks.

*** * ***

"She did WHAT?" Haru exclaimed into the receiver of his cell phone.

Michiru and Nanami looked at him with interest, both perplexed since Haruka's departure. They found rings that were acceptable to all parties and were just exiting the store when Haru decided to find out where his sister and Sora have disappeared to.

"Yeah, I will see you there." Haru hang up the phone and faced the driver holding the door for them. "We are going to the circuit."

"What's going on?" Michiru gave up.

"Haruka bought a new car. I have to see it, so I hope you don't mind stopping by the circuit."

Neither of them minded, despite the fact that he did not ask them before directing the driver there. They were intrigued.

When they got there, they saw Sora standing by one of the pits watching what looked like a yellow dot zoom on the opposite side of the tracks.

"I was hoping you were joking." Haru stated as he reached Sora and stood next to him.

"Why?" Sora was surprised. "Apparently she can afford it."

"I know she can afford it, that is not what I am worried about." He looked a bit sick as he watched the dot increase in size and pass them within seconds. "Do you know the top speed of that thing?"

"Yes, I do. 407 km/h. She's been set on reaching it ever since we got here."

Michiru's head was spinning. She suddenly felt as worried as Haru seemed to be.

"How long have you been here?" Haru asked, his voice strained.

"Couple of hours, give or take." Sora patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry Haru-chan, the girl knows how to drive, she can handle it."

"Right." He gulped as the car passed them again.

After another couple of runs, Haruka finally pulled into the pit and jumped out.

"What do you think?" She was like an excited child.

"I think you need to revise your will." Haru replied.

"Oh, don't worry Haru-chan, everything will go to you if I die as it is." She smiled playfully at him.

"This is not funny Haruka-chan. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Ouch." She did not miss the seriousness of his tone. "You worry too much for your own good."

She turned to face the girls. "Michiru-san, better than the bike, ne?"

Michiru smiled shyly. She definitely did not approve of the speed, but she could not say that she did not like the car for the life of her.

"I don't know. I would have to compare it in person."

"Well that is easily solved." Haruka walked to the passenger door and opened it.

"Get in."

It was not a request. Michiru desperately tried to remember when she reviewed her will last, but decided to get in nonetheless. Haruka looked at her brother.

"Don't worry - I will bring her back in one piece."

Haru only nodded in response. Haruka went around the hood and disappeared inside the Veyron.

"I like the interior." Michiru put in.

"I know." Haruka winked at her and put her feet on the pedals.

They did not drive nearly as fast as Haruka did by herself, but fast enough for Michiru to appreciate the blonde's skill. She was watching her the entire time, taking advantage of the racer's concentration. Haruka was in her element - her and the car seemed to become one, cutting through the air, faster than the wind itself.

Haruka knew the aquanette was watching her, but could not return the stare. Instead, she found Michiru's left hand and put it on the gear stick, covering it with her right.

Michiru felt a bolt of electricity shoot through her and was not sure if it was the raw power of the car or something else. Haruka seemed to always tease her. Michiru decided that it was time for payback. She slid her hand out from underneath Haruka's and put it on her knee, allowing it to slowly travel up Haruka's thigh.

"Let's see how well you deal with distractions Ms. racer."

She suddenly felt the car swerve and second-guessed her actions.

'Brilliant idea, Michiru, why don't you distract the driver going at over 200 km/h?' Her hand squeezed Haruka's thigh as she tried to steady herself from the impact of the swerve.

Haruka's breath caught as she desperately tried to keep the concentration on holding the car in control and not on Michiru's hand squeezing her thigh, making the heat travel through her entire body. She straightened the car back out and slowed down a bit, enough to be able to turn and look at her passenger.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize my touch had that much of an effect on you." Michiru pulled her hand away in defeat.

Haruka turned back to the asphalt. Her hand went up to Michiru's leg and copied the woman's earlier actions, only taking it further by reaching under her skirt and not stopping until the tips of her fingers touched the silky underwear between her thighs.

"How much does my touch have an effect on you?" She asked in a low husky voice, her eyes never leaving the track.

Michiru not only could not react, she could not move, could not breathe. Then, she felt the fingers fully brush against her womanhood, moving the lace aside and caressing her exposed skin. Her breath came out in a hard exhale; she closed her eyes, put her head against the headrest and spread her legs slightly, inviting the exploring hand deeper in.

It took all of Haruka's abilities as a driver to keep the car going fast enough for the others not to register their faces, but slow enough to allow her to continue the ministrations and not run out of gas. She almost swerved into a barrier again when the body next to her arched against her fingers and a deep sensual moan escaped Michiru's lips.

Haruka finally pulled her hand away, allowing Michiru to straighten herself.

"I will take that as very effective." Haruka glanced at her flushed passenger and smiled.

They pulled into the pit and she lowered the windows down.

"I will see you guys tomorrow. Haru-chan, I'll see you at home." Without another word she left them in the dust and got out of the circuit.

Michiru just stood there, where she got out of the car, flustered and unable to move.

"I'm sorry, Michiru-san, I will have a talk with Ruka-chan about her behavior." Haru, becoming even better at constantly misinterpreting his fiancée, put in.

'Yeah, I'd like too see you have a chat with your sister about having sex with me in her car while racing.' Michiru grimaced.

"It's ok, I'm just not that good with the speed."

Haru nodded and started walking towards the limo with Sora. Nanami waited for her sister to catch up with her, before whispering in her ear, making sure that only Michiru could hear her.

"I am never sitting in that seat."

Michiru laughed and hugged her sister by the waist.

*** * ***

The limo pulled in front of the beach house bright and early Friday morning. From behind the tinted glass, the passengers observed the twins, each leaning against a hood of a sports car. Realizing that the Tenohs were not going to join their presence, they got out.

"We are not going to the mountains in _that_." Haruka pointed to the limo.

Haru nodded in agreement.

"We won't fit in a sports car…" Sora put in defensively.

"True." Haru nodded. "Which is why we are taking two. Ruka-chan's fits two and mine fits four." He waved his head at the Veyron behind Haruka and the California he was leaning against.

"Never argue with both Siamese." Sora advised as he walked to the trunk and started to get their bags out. "How do you intend to fit these?" He pointed at the suitcases.

"Stack them next to whoever is sitting in the back of the California?" Haruka suggested.

"Not me."

"Not me."

Michiru and Nanami shouted almost in unison.

"Fine!" Sora grabbed the first two pieces and walked to the black sports car.

Nanami turned to Michiru. "I meant what I said at the circuit. Have fun with the windy one." She walked to the California and jumped in the front passenger seat, which seemed to slightly better Sora's demeanor towards the defenseless luggage."

Michiru sighed and looked at her fiancé. "I guess I was not fast enough."

He smiled gingerly at her. "It's OK, you seem to be the only one who can slow down Ruka-chan anyways, so it is probably for the best."

She forced a smile and hurried to hide inside the too familiar car.

Haru got in the driver's seat and checked that his passengers had their seat belts on.

"You are not going to race each other there, are you?" Nanami got worried all of a sudden.

"No. It would be pointless anyways." He saw her still inquiring look and continued. "We would make it there at the same time either way if we raced."

"I was under the impression that Haruka-san is faster than you, no offense."

He shifted the car into first gear. "None taken." He shifted into second. "She is faster, but she would purposefully…" He shifted into third. "...drive slower to make sure that we got there at the same time." Fourth. "It has always been like that with us…" Fifth. "...we value each other's feelings too much to compete." Sixth. "There is no rivalry." Seventh.

As he finished his explanation, he moved into the opposite lane, which was empty at the moment, and passed the Veyron.

"Yes, I see your point." Sora said sarcastically from the back.

In the car left behind by California, Michiru was admiring the passing scenery, avoiding looking at the driver and remembering what happened last time she was in this seat at all cost. Haruka looked at the passing sports car and sighed.

"You know, it's a long ride, you might want to loosen up a bit… relax, I'm not going to offend your senses like the last time."

Michiru blushed, but looked at the blonde nonetheless. "I never said you offended my senses."

"Is that an invitation?" Haruka felt Michiru's eyes pierce through the side of her face. "OK… OK, I'm sorry. Let's just forget it happened and talk about something else, it's a long ride and I'm already bored."

Michiru looked at her in surprise. "I thought you loved driving, how can you be bored?"

"I don't like to be stuck behind other cars, I feel claustrophobic."

"What's stopping you from getting in front of them?"

She sighed. "I don't want to turn this into a game of who gets to be in the front for the whole duration of the trip. We would get there at the same time anyways. So, either you entertain me or I will turn on the music to a blaring degree and I don't think you want that."

"That's not much of a compromise." Michiru turned away and looked at the road again.

"No one said it was a democracy." Haruka grinned at her.

Michiru sighed and gave up. They actually did find their conversation quite pleasant once the initial awkwardness has passed. It seemed like they talked about anything and everything to the extent that they did not notice the time flying by and found themselves pulling into the parking lot of their destination.

"See, that was painless." Haruka smiled at her passenger before getting out and opening the door for Michiru.

"Four hours and not one speeding ticket. Beat that!" Haru excitedly got out of his car.

They got their luggage and found their way to the lifts. The scenery was amazing; they were all consumed by admiring the sight, when a shrill of a phone made some of them jump.

"I didn't realize there was reception here." Haruka voiced grumpily.

"Moshi moshi." Haru answered. His face became grimmer with every passing minute of the one-sided conversation.

"I understand -"

"Don't worry about it -"

"Bye."

He hang up as they got off the lift and set their suitcases on the snow-covered ground. Haruka looked expectantly at him, but he looked straight at Michiru.

"I'm so sorry, please don't hate me…"

"Why would I hate you?" Michiru was puzzled.

Haru sighed. "I have to go back to Tokyo… I'm not sure if I will be able to make it back before Sunday. I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Haruka put in.

"Business. There are some investors and partners on certain of our projects that feel uneasy about the reorganization and my taking the role of the CEO so suddenly, in their opinion. They want me there to assure them that I will not run the company to the ground."

"Do you want me to go?" She offered.

Haru shook his head. "No. I appreciate it, but I really do not think that this is the time to risk someone finding out the substitution."

Haruka nodded in understanding. Michiru walked up to Haru and, surprising even herself, hugged him quickly.

"Go. We'll be OK. I'm sorry that you will not have the opportunity to distress, but you've got to do what you've got to do, right?" She gave him an encouraging smile.

"Right."

Haruka reached in her pocket and got out the keys from the Veyron, extending them to Haru.

"Here, in case you do not make it back by Sunday. I will keep the top speed key, I doubt you will go over 375 km/h." She gave him a quick smile and then grew serious. "Take care of my girl and I will take care of yours."

* * *

AN: As always, thank you for getting this far! Please R&R and thank you to all of you who already did!

_**CoOkiE86:**_ The last few chapters were really light because I thought that that was the only way to make them connect within a short period of time… this is, however, a romance/drama, so it will get heavier again. You will find out Haru's point of view, but may be not in a while… hope you stay with me until I get there…

_**Petiyaka:**_ Haruka is extremely moody in my fic :) This is partially because of the way she decides to avoid certain things and then it does not work out for her… just remember that her and Haru are very alike, so a lot of times what he feels/thinks is what she feels/thinks and vice versa...


	11. Hot 'n Cold

Disclaimer: The title was inspired by "It's All About Us" song by t.A.T.u., but this story has nothing to do with it.

I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Hot 'n Cold**

_"You change your mind  
Like a girl changes clothes_

_'Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're yes then you're no  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down"_

_*** * ***  
_

The hotel complex, hidden deep in the Japan Alps, was one of the first projects that put the Tenoh Group in business. It sat in a forest half way up the mountain, making it accessible only by lift and ensuring its guests' privacy. The resort was composed of a number of small buildings scattered throughout the area surrounding the lift interchange - one went down to the parking lots and the rest of the world, while the other took its passengers up to the slopes. The buildings themselves were made of cedar wood and blended in with the surrounding landscape.

They walked to the central building that housed the lobby and set their suitcases on the stone floor. Though the resort was a popular destination for many famous and important people due to its remoteness and luxury accommodation, their arrival prompted unusual excitement from the staff: it was not often that a Tenoh honored them with their presence.

They were greeted by a middle-aged woman dressed in an impeccable black kimono.

"Good day Tenoh-san, Kaioh-san, Kaioh-san, Endo-san." She bowed to each of them, obviously knowing who to expect. Though she noticed the absence of another Tenoh, she did nothing to show it out of professionalism.

They greeted her back and admired simple but luxurious interior of the lobby. The lights reflected in the stone floor, the reflection traveling up and disappearing in the warmth of the wood walls. At the side opposite to the entrance, they noticed a spring coming though the wall; the water running slowly into a rock water feature. It was obvious that this particular structure was built around the spring and the rocks.

Haruka has seen all of this before, so she was a lot more interested in getting the key card and escaping into the warmth of her room than admiring the surroundings. She looked at the older woman expectantly.

"Unfortunately, most of the accommodations have been booked by the time Endo-san contacted us, but we were able to rearrange a few things and make a three-bedroom lodge available for your use. I hope you will find it fitting." She waited for Haruka's response, concerned that they were not able to provide them with the best option.

"That will be just fine." Haruka did not really give any thought to how many rooms they will have, it just never occurred to her.

The older woman bowed again and extended four key cards to Haruka. "It is Lodge D, it will be the second one on your right as you exit the lobby."

"Thank you." Haruka grabbed the cards, picked up two suitcases and headed for the door. "You coming?" She looked at the other three expectantly. Sora got the rest of the suitcases and followed the blonde with the girls.

They entered the lodge and took a look around. It was mostly wooden, including the floors. A large stone fireplace occupied the wall of a living room, couches positioned around it in the most fitting way. On the opposite side was a door to what looked like a bedroom with an adjoining bath. A small staircase hidden in the corner led upstairs, where, presumably, the other two bedrooms were located.

"I think I will stay in this one." Haruka waved her head at the door to the bedroom. "Why don't you guys see what's upstairs and if it works for you."

They nodded and walked up. Haruka walked to the fireplace and lit it up, holding her hands above the fire to warm them up. She looked at Michiru as the aquanette came down and joined her.

"There is a bedroom with two bunks and another one with a double-bed. I will take the bunk one with Nanami-chan."

Haruka looked at the fire playing in Michiru's face. "I can share it with Sora if you would prefer that."

Michiru looked at her in surprise. "I would not prefer that. We will be just fine."

"OK." Haruka turned back to the blaze.

*** * ***

They decided to catch an early dinner at a French restaurant located on the premises. The meal was satisfying, the conversation easy-going and the company quite pleasant. They were all fully relaxed for the first time since they met. It saddened Haruka to know that Haru's absence had something to do with this tranquility. It was almost as though the four of them decided to pretend that the world that existed outside of this time and this place did not matter. She sighed and opted to play along.

Warmed up by the red wine, Nanami and Sora decided to go for a walk. Haruka and Michiru declined their invitation and decided to retire to the warmth of the fireplace instead. They sat on the floor with their backs to the sofas opposite each other, each holding a glass of wine, a half-empty bottle between them.

"There is something going on between those two." Haruka mused quietly as she sipped on the red liquid.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Michiru rested her lower lip on the rim of her glass.

"No, I'm just sharing my observations." She lazily looked at the aquanette. "Why would I have a problem with that?"

"You two dated." Michiru felt slightly dazed from the heat of the fire and the effect of the wine.

Haruka laughed softly. "Michiru-chan, you of all people should know how little that status holds."

Michiru raised an eyebrow. "That is true, but you do care for him in a way, do you not?"

"I do." Haruka slid a bit lower to make her relaxed body more comfortable. "I care for him in a way that if he finds someone who makes him happy, it will make me happy." She thought about it some more. "I care for him because he understands me almost in the way my brother does… and he helped me when I needed it, so, in my book, he deserves my caring." She sipped on her wine.

"I know what you mean." She mirrored Haruka's earlier actions. "I also hope that Nanami will find someone who will make her happy. I have been hoping that would happen for a while." She looked at Haruka's face. "I like Sora-san."

Haruka nodded. "You should. He is the only person I know that could do what he did - pull four people that were on a brink of hating each other together and give them a chance to develop a relationship."

Michiru nodded. "Yes, he did do that." She thought for a moment. "I am sorry about what I said to you in the hallway during the dinner. I did not mean it."

Haruka looked at her and met her gaze. "Apology accepted. We were all on edge, it is quite understandable."

Michiru kept looking in the dark emeralds. "I did not mean to hurt you."

"What gave you the impression you did?" Haruka was drowning in the sapphires.

"The agony I saw in your eyes when you came back to the table."

Haruka looked away and smiled wryly. "That was not your doing. Don't worry about it."

Michiru looked at her in surprise and was about to ask what she meant when the door burst open and a laughing Nanami flew in with a rush of cold air. Sora followed her in and shut the door.

"Does she always act like an energizer-bunny?" Haruka asked Michiru, annoyed at the cold air and loud noise that broke her lazy state.

Michiru smiled at her sister. "Most of the time. That's why I love her."

"Awww… how sweet. Did you hear that, Nana-chan, your onee-san loves you." Sora sang as he fell on the couch.

"Nana-chan?!" Both Haruka and Michiru shrieked in unison.

The younger girl blushed profusely, walked to Sora, punched him in the shoulder with her fist, and sat quietly on the other sofa.

Haruka and Michiru looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Well, you don't like to waste any time." Haruka directed her comment to Sora.

"Look who's talking, Ms. Elevator Queen." Still pouting Nanami replied from the couch.

Haruka's laughter died down instantaneously. She looked at Nanami closely and, for the first time, put two and two together. "That was you?"

Nanami just nodded, blushing again. Sora looked at her blush and turned to the women sitting on the floor, amused.

"I would like the details of that!"

"Never going to happen." Haruka closed the subject.

Sora smirked at her and looked at Nanami. "We'll see about that."

The brunette got up from the couch and turned to the staircase. "I think this is enough for me for one night. Good night." She briskly climbed up and disappeared from their sight.

"I think I'm going to join her." Michiru decided to escape before her mind jumped back to the elevator scene.

Sora looked at Haruka. "Are you going to run away like a little girl too?"

She raised a half-empty bottle of wine towards him. "Not if you join me."

He accepted and took Michiru's place.

*** * ***

Some time later Michiru, occupying the top bunk bed, heard the door to the room opposite theirs open and close. She closed her eyes for the nth time, trying to fall asleep. She missed the warmth of the fireplace. It was cold and lonely up here, despite her sister's presence. She tried to shut her mind down, but it seemed to be restless.

She heard a tiny noise that she could not place and concentrated her hearing. The door to their room quietly opened and then shut. Another door opened and shut as quietly as the first. Michiru raised both of her eyebrows and silently congratulated her sister on her courage. She kept twisting and turning until the house settled into complete silence once again. Her eyes wide open at the ceiling, she finally gave up.

'Screw being alone.'

She threw her blanket off and quietly climbed off the bed. She stealthily got out of the bedroom and went downstairs, opening the door and closing it behind her. She looked at the form sleeping serenely in the double-bed, walked closer and got under the blankets. She cuddled closer to the sleeping blonde and wrapped her arm around her waist. She felt the even rise and lowering of the chest next to hers and finally felt relaxed enough to be lulled into sleep.

*** * ***

Haruka opened one eye as the first rays of sunlight entered the room through the window. Then, realizing that a warm body was spooned around her, her other eye opened and she stared at the window unseeingly.

She slowly turned around and found an aqua-haired head, belonging to the body that was readjusting itself to the new position. Michiru was deep in her sleep, just like that Saturday morning a few weeks ago. Haruka sighed inwardly and thought about this new complication. She was fully aware that nothing happened last night, she would have definitely remembered that, but the mere presence of Michiru in her bed meant a lot. It did not matter to Haruka why the smaller woman was there, the fact of the matter was that she was there.

Haruka could tell that they were becoming very close in the last few days. They talked a lot, they liked each other and they felt comfortable in each other's presence. Yet, this was definitely not a start of friendship. Friends did not end up in bed together out of nowhere. Aside from all the issues with this woman being Haru's fiancée, which Haruka decided not to brew on at the moment, she had her own issues. She has never had a relationship with a woman. She loved her brother, she did not need another person to love, so she avoided everything beyond a simple one-night-stand. Never in her life had she woken up in bed with a woman that she did not have sex with or that she was not intending to never see again.

She looked at the sleeping beauty again. Despite all that, she felt comfortable. She felt like she could wake up every morning with this woman next to her. Then, the realization that this woman was already spoken for came back to her and she stopped trying to analyze her predisposition to an actual relationship. It was pointless.

She moved a strand of aqua hair out of Michiru's eyes. "Wake up sleeping beauty."

Instead of waking up, Michiru snuggled in closer and mumbled something incoherent. Haruka sighed and traced the contours of the smaller woman's face with her finger. "You do need to wake up, unless you want to explain this to the energizer-bunny and her white knight."

Michiru finally realized that Haruka's voice was not a part of her dream, and neither was the body she was snuggled against. She opened her eyes wide and sat up so fast that she almost ripped the hand wrapped around her out of the socket.

"Ouch… I take all my thoughts of tranquility of waking up next to you back." Haruka rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Michiru was not sure if she was asking for forgiveness for hurting Haruka or for being in her bed in a first place. "I felt very lonely and cold, so I came here…" She looked shyly at the blonde.

"I didn't ask you why you were here. It doesn't matter." Haruka replied softly. "What matters is that if you stay, your sister will wake up and not find you where you are supposed to be."

"I don't think that will be a problem." Michiru smiled mischievously.

"How so?" Haruka stopped rubbing her shoulder and sat against the headboard.

"She slipped out of bed and went to Sora-san's room long before I got down here."

Haruka looked at her in surprise. "Like sister like sister. I did not realize you were both naughty."

A pillow flew at her in response. She dodged it and grabbed her own.

"Fine! If this is how you want to play it!"

They were running around the room, occasionally jumping on top of the bed, trying to hit each other, when the door suddenly flew open and troubled Nanami and Sora stared at the sight.

"What are you two doing?" Sora finally put in.

Haruka looked at him without stopping and dodged another of Michiru's attempts to hit her head.

"Nothing criminal, unlike other people."

To her own surprise, she finally got hit, but not by the person she was avoiding. Nanami stood where a decorative pillow once laid, her face smug.

"No fair! Two against one." Haruka pouted and dropped her weapon.

Michiru laughed and hugged the blonde from behind. "Breakfast anyone?"

Nanami raised an eyebrow at her sister before nodding in agreement.

*** * ***

She was flying down the slope, enjoying every moment of it. The scenery was breathtaking, the route challenging, and her spirits elevated. It was just her and the nature. She smiled into her white wool scarf and concentrated on getting into the next curve at the right angle. Suddenly, she felt a gush of wind to her right and saw a familiar figure of the blonde racing down in front of her.

'I guess there isn't a sport involving speed she is not good at.' Michiru thought and gained some speed of her own.

She came out of the curve and saw Haruka slow down, unfortunately, she did so in Michiru's way, making the impact unavoidable. She turned in time to see the smaller woman approach and caught her, both still sliding down at a dangerous speed. Knowing that they will be unable to disengage themselves at that rate, they settled on trying to slow down. They were almost successful when they came to a stop, only to trip over each other's skis and tumble down in a heap, Michiru finally landing on top of Haruka.

They were both laughing uncontrollably, relieved that they were alive and seemingly uninjured.

"You are definitely set on hurting me today." Haruka finally forced out, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm sorry, how can I make it up to you?" Michiru's sparkle matched the blonde's.

"I don't know… Okaa-san used to kiss when it hurt."

"Ara… and where does it hurt? Mind you that you are covered in skiing gear and snow."

"And whose fault is it that I am covered in snow?" Haruka quipped. "Fine, under the circumstances, you may kiss an exposed part of my body to substitute for the hurting one."

Michiru smiled before gently kissing Haruka's nose.

"There you go. You are all better now."

Haruka looked at her, becoming serious. The adrenalin surge made her not care. She looked into the deep blue eyes, drowning in them, raised her head and kissed Michiru hard on the lips, her eyes never leaving the sapphires.

Michiru accepted and returned the favor. They were so hungry for each other, they did not care about breathing. The internal heat made them not care about the snow that surrounded them. They were totally and utterly lost in each other. A clearing of a throat eventually brought them back to reality.

"You guys are a hazard to your fellow skiers." Sora's voice reached their ears.

They reluctantly turned away from each other and looked at the couple standing next to them.

"Come on, let's get down before you two freeze yourselves to death."

Michiru got up so fast that none of them had a chance to move. Sora came closer to Haruka and extended a hand to her. Once she got up, he brought her in closer and whispered in her ear: "Don't do anything you will regret when we get back to reality."

"It may be a little late for that." She answered him, not pulling away.

"That may be so, but what happened before and what happens now are to different things. It will eat you up."

She nodded and he let her go. The four of them enjoyed the rest of the way down together.

*** * ***

She quickly realized that going to the onsen together may not have been such a great idea. She scrubbed herself with the towel vigorously, avoiding any thoughts of the naked woman next to her. When she figured that the raw skin of her body was signaling that she was finally clean, she grabbed the water container and poured it over herself, filing it again with clean water and repeating the motion. She noticed the other woman doing the same, followed by twisting of her hair to rinse it of any excess water. She then openly watched as Michiru took the small towel and skillfully wrapped her long hair in it, elegantly and effectively pinning it at the top. She always wondered how women could do it.

"Stop staring at me, there is nothing here you have not seen before."

'True.'

To avoid the thoughts that were plaguing her dirty mind, she switched her attention to the small towel she herself was holding and pondered what on Earth she was supposed to do with it. It was useless.

She turned around and walked to the hot spring, lowering herself gingerly in it. Michiru joined her shortly, breathing out a satisfied sigh as the scolding hot water welcomed her tired body. They sat there, unmoving, feeling their sore muscles relax.

Nanami appeared in front of them out of nowhere. Haruka blushed and turned her eyes away, feeling like looking at Michiru's sister was something along the lines of perversion.

"Yeah, I thought it was a silly idea to follow you guys here too." Nanami mused out loud. "Sora-san sent me to make sure that you did not do anything you should not." She lowered herself in the hot water.

'What is he, the moral police now?' Haruka wondered.

"Did he happen to mention exactly what he though we would do in the onsen? With the boiling water where you can only stay for a few minutes?" Haruka quizzed.

"I did say that I thought it was a silly idea, didn't I?" Nanami replied smoothly.

All three of them sat there for another few minutes before the heat forced them out. They rinsed themselves from the spring, dried themselves up and wrapped themselves into crisp kimonos. Getting out into the common area of the spa house, they met with a waiting Sora.

"Smooth move to send another naked girl to make sure I don't do anything, Sora." Haruka put sarcastically as she passed him. He gulped, fully realizing for the first time what he did.

They had a nice dinner at another restaurant on site. This time all of them were tired to the point of wanting nothing more than to fall in bed and cuddle with the blankets. They entered the lodge and removed their coats.

"I am going up to Sora-chan's room." Nanami said evenly without bothering to look at them. She did not feel like sneaking around tonight.

"So am I." Sora smiled wolfishly and followed the brunette.

Haruka looked at Michiru, knowing full well what was to come. She was too tired for any deep thoughts or conversations. "You can come to my room if you promise not to provoke me and just fall asleep."

Michiru looked at her in surprise, but decided to take the offer. "Shouldn't be a problem."

All four of them were fast asleep, drained by the strenuous activity of the day and relaxed by the effect of hot springs. None of them heard a door quietly opening and closing three times.

*** * ***

Habitually, Haruka opened one eye and looked at the woman almost sleeping on top of her. She closed it back. It was Sunday, the day they were going to get back to reality. She pushed all her concerns away long enough, it was time to deal with it.

She knew that what she did was wrong, she knew that having Michiru in her arms right now was wrong; because no matter how she felt about the woman, no matter if she was able to fall in love with her, it would not change anything. Besides, she knew perfectly well that Haru had feelings for Michiru; and she will be his wife. There was no reason for her to pull Michiru away farther from her brother. He was still more important to her.

She opened her eyes again and was surprised to see Michiru looking at her.

"We need to talk."

Michiru sighed at this most unwelcome "good morning" she has ever heard and shifted her weight off the blonde. She knew it was coming, but she still did not want to deal with it. She still wanted to pretend that they could just play their little silly games and that there was no wedding at the end of it all; there was no new life with a man for her in the future. But, in the end, she knew that was not the case. Her eyes were studying the grain of the wood above her.

"I'm listening."

Haruka looked at the ceiling as well. "We cannot do this."

Silence greeted her. She sighed inwardly and continued. "What happened to us happened, but we cannot do what we are doing. I meant it when I said that you do not want to make my brother miserable. I certainly will not make him miserable."

'I would rather be miserable myself.'

"And you think us having sex that you initiated would not make him miserable." Michiru finally found her voice.

"We both initiated the sex and it was before we knew about all of this. It doesn't matter, it had no meaning. It was a one night stand for the both of us. I left with no intention of ever seeing you again and you would have done exactly the same thing if you woke up first."

It was true, but it did nothing to relieve the pain Michiru felt from those words. Yes, that was a one night stand, but they have come a long way since then. It did not matter then, beyond the fact that it was fascinating sex, but it mattered now. It mattered that she slept with her future sister-in-law. It mattered that they obviously were still attracted to each other. It mattered that they felt so good next to each other. A lot of things happened since that night and they mattered.

"I was not referring to that night."

"Oh?" Haruka looked at her, startled.

"I was referring to the car." Michiru decided to put the most obvious fact in Haruka's face.

"That wasn't sex." Haruka answered quickly.

"Oh?" Now it was Michiru's turn to be startled; she looked into the dark emeralds. "Then what was that?"

"Me pleasuring you." She did not skip a beat, her eyes never leaving the deep sapphires.

"And what is your definition of sex, exactly?" Michiru was quite annoyed. Hurt and annoyed. "It seems to me that your righteous speech about not wanting to make your brother miserable does not fit in with your actions." She got out of bed forcefully and stood next to it.

Haruka sat upright. "My definition of sex goes beyond something that happens in a speeding car. My actions were provoked by you, I never initiated anything. I was not the one who approached you at the club. I was not the one who slid a hand up the thigh first. I was not the one who got in someone's bed in the middle of the night. I am the one who started this conversation and I am not the one getting married. So don't tell me about my actions not fitting with my intentions. My morality is preserved within my actions, albeit stretched, which is not something I can say about you. What kind of morality do you have if you get in someone's bed a week before your weeding?" She was almost shouting.

"A morality of a woman that does not care about her future husband." Michiru's flat quiet voice stated. She literally saw red. Haruka never initiated anything? She was kidding herself.

Haruka felt like she was just slapped in the face. Maybe it was not her face that was slapped by the statement, it was her brother's, but the face was the same.

She lowered her voice to a low growl, so like her mother's. "You are going to marry my brother independent of what we want; you yourself agreed to it… so you better learn to care Michiru, because I swear to God, I will not let you make him suffer…"

The red in front of Michiru was becoming brighter and brighter. "Then start by controlling your own actions: the teasing, the touching, the kissing that you seem to forget about. I have not done anything you did not willingly and knowingly participate in. So think about that before you accuse me of anything. Think about that and put it in line with your high-minded intentions. You are the one hurting people at this point, Haruka, not me. You should figure out exactly what you want before you act, lest someone thinks you are bipolar." She turned around and left, furious.

Haruka fell back on the bed with a groan. 'I know what I want. I just can't have it.'

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading guys! Just in case you do not know, Onsen is the term for bathing in hot springs.

Also, music has a huge effect on me (if you could not tell by the fact that I named this whole fic after a song), so there will be chapters inspired by certain songs. I will put the name here in AN so that you can listen to them if you want.

So for this one, it was Katy Perry - Hot 'n Cold. The lyrics at the beginning are from this song and do not belong to me.


	12. The Walk to Guillotine

Disclaimer: The title was inspired by "It's All About Us" song by t.A.T.u., but this story has nothing to do with it.

I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**The Walk to Guillotine**

The dress fit her perfectly. The bodice accentuated her shapely figure and her narrow waste; the contrast to the fullness of the skirt making it stronger. It was everything they talked about, just the way she pictured it when it was roughly put together on the mannequin. The only diversion that Yori created since then was addition of a single blue ribbon that tied the corset in the back, matching the bottom layer of the dress. It was absolutely stunning.

The men were excluded from this fitting, in part due to tradition and in part because they had to attend to their own tuxes. Consequently, that also excluded Haruka from being present, which suited Michiru perfectly well. She was still mad at what the blonde said yesterday morning. They have not spoken a word since Michiru stormed out of the bedroom, nor have they shared a glance. Sora and Nanami heard their raised voices, so they tried to keep out of the way of the raging women, which made the trip back home long and painful. In the end, they got back even faster than they got there, Haruka channeling some of her frustration into the leaded foot on the pedal.

Michiru admired the dress in the mirror again and smiled wryly. How she wished she wore this dress for a real wedding. Seeing how this was probably the only wedding she was going to get in her life, she decided to at least partake in the tradition and enjoy what she could, without giving any thought to the aftermath. She turned around and left to change back into her regular clothes.

As soon as Michiru was out of earshot, Nanami turned to the designer that was going through some fabric swatches.

"Gato-san, I meant to ask you… what did Haruka-san do to gain your favor?" She was very curious and seeing how this was probably the last interaction she was going to have with the designer either way, she decided to put her good manners aside and ask. She had to admit to herself that she was fascinated by Haruka. She has never met anyone like her before. The blonde was full of surprises, which was like a Christmas gift for Nanami's undying curiosity.

Yori looked at the young brunette skeptically. She looked like a picture of propriety: her brown hair was pulled up in a bun, few soft strands falling around her oval-shaped face, devoid of any makeup, but for the copper eyeliner that made the sapphire eyes stand out even more. She was wearing a beige cotton sweater and matching knee-length skirt. Simple, but quite tasteful and definitely designer-made. Yet, this proper-looking girl just asked her a question she obviously knew was out of place. Maybe the oversize modern-shaped jewelry was an indication of what was hidden underneath the good-girl look.

Yori sighed inwardly. She did not really care about manners or having a conversation, but she was amused, so she decided to humor the girl with an answer.

"She modeled for me."

Of all the answers Nanami expected, she did not see this one coming. "Did she really?"

"You seem surprised."

"I am sorry, are we talking about the same Haruka? Tall, blonde, green eyes, loves Armani suits, has no respect for skirts, unless worn by others…" Nanami mused.

Yori was actually entertained. She chuckled before answering. "I like you. You speak your mind, but not in the same way Tenoh-san does… you are a lot smoother." Yori gave her a short smile. "She modeled men's clothing because I was short and it was about to ruin an important show for me."

"Oh." Still, full of surprises.

Yori gave her last quick glance and turned back to her fabrics, effectively ending the conversation.

*** * ***

Tuesday and Wednesday flew by so fast, Michiru could not even remember what she did. It seemed like a kaleidoscope of last-minute preparations. She suddenly found herself stepping out of her parents' limousine in front of tRi, where the rehearsal dinner was to be held.

They walked into the pavilion where chairs were already arranged in rows, facing the large glass wall overlooking the bay. There, by the wall, something resembling an altar was set on a low podium, decorated by blue and white strands of fabric. It was too early for the rest of the decorations consisting primarily of flowers to be set. That would be taken care of early Saturday morning before the arrival of the first guests.

They looked at the people sitting in the front row. The three blondes and two brunettes felt their stare and turned to face them.

"You're here!" Riku got up and walked in their direction first.

It was like a flashback. Everyone was nice to each other, but for Michiru and Haruka, who simply ignored one another's presence. Michiru did not so much as give Haruka a glance - she decided to fully implement the blonde's technique of avoiding dealing with issues - it seemed to work for the tall woman, so why not her? As expected, Haruka was doing exactly the same.

They listened to Sora as he introduced the non-denominational minister and explained how the ceremony will proceed. Soon, they were told to take their places and maestro Sora directed the show.

Michiru watched Haru lead her mother to the front and let her sit on the right side. His parents walked next, turning left in the front of the room, followed by Nanami and Haruka. From where Michiru was standing, there was absolutely no difference between the twins walking down the isle. She held on to that thought and waited for them to take their places. After they did, Michiru walked up with her father.

As she was walking that short, yet agonizingly long distance, she realized that Saturday will not be the day that changes her life forever. In fact, her life has been changed forever on a Saturday almost a month ago, when her father told her that she was going to marry Tenoh Haruko. There was no turning back from the point when she agreed to it and her life has already been changed. There were new people in it, people that will not go away and will only bring more change.

She was not sure if this realization made her feel better or worse. She stepped to the front of the low podium and looked at the man in front of her. He was her future. She did not know what that meant, they never actually discussed it, but he was it. She sighed and concentrated on what the minster was saying.

*** * ***

They all had dinner together in the courtyard, the same place where the meal after the ceremony will take place, except that right now the tables were put together to fit all nine of them.

"This is coming together very well. You kids did good." Kaito praised.

"You can thank Sora-san for that, Otou-san, he pulled this all out of his magic hat." Michiru replied as she grabbed a rice ball with her chopsticks.

"There is definitely a certain tendency to over exaggerate in this company." Sora, not knowing how to take a compliment, replied.

"I don't think it's an over exaggeration. Michiru-chan is right, you are a miracle worker." Miho agreed. "Do you plan weddings often?"

"This is my first one, actually." He blushed slightly. "This was sort of a favor, I usually do other kinds of event planning."

"Really?" Kaito replied. "Any of that planning has to do with entertainment industry?"

"What I do _is _entertainment business." Sora smiled in reply.

"Well, if you ever get tired of the US, let me know. I'm sure we can use your talent at Kaioh Group."

Sora nodded, gratefully, unable to do anything else out of pure surprise. He shifted his eyes and was blinded by Nanami's smile. He returned it to her as he sipped on his dirty martini.

"One thing we never got to discuss…" Nariko put in. "… was where you two will live."

That was certainly true. Haru and Michiru looked at each other, realizing that there was yet another thing they had to deal with.

"Being in the business we are in… that, of course, is not a problem." Nariko continued. "Just let us know what you want to do."

She looked at them, habitually gauging their reaction, something she got used to from years of dealing with the board. Michiru simply stared at her wine, unseeingly, not an emotion on her face. Haru, on the other hand, was looking at his twin. Not a word passed between the two of them, not an emotion on their face that Nariko could read. She sighed inwardly and braced herself for the long ride that will come out of this union.

Haru finally gave up on trying to get a reaction from his twin, it was something he learned recently, ever since that fight his sister and mother had, actually. She just shut down. Even from him. He hated it, but did not know how to deal with it because it was never the case before. He shifted his gaze to his fiancée instead.

"Michiru-san…" He started unsure, catching her eyes. "Would you mind if we stay at the beach house for a while?"

She allowed surprised expression to skip through her mask. Their parents' surprise was clearly written on their faces as well. She has never even been inside the house. She has seen it from outside, she has been to the impressive garage, but she has never been inside the house. She liked it from the outside, though. She also liked the proximity to the water. Even though it was not a swimming season at the moment, she would greatly enjoy the beach if they stayed there long enough. Even the view of the ocean was a pleasant thought.

She suddenly realized that he was still waiting for her answer.

"Sure. I don't have a problem with that."

'I do.' Haruka thought from the other side of the table. But, apparently, nobody asked her. She could already foresee the complications of the three of them living under the same roof. 'Maybe Haru was right. Maybe I am a psychic.'

Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Why?" She was looking intently at Haru. The ride just seemed to gain a whole new, quite dangerous, speed.

"Because that is my home. Because I don't want to leave there and because I don't want to be away from Ruka-chan." He looked challengingly at her, waiting for what was to come.

Nariko looked at her son and saw her daughter instead. That stubborn expression. The sparkle of challenge in those greed eyes. Her eyes. Her stubbornness. Somehow she has forgotten that they were so alike. Somehow she only saw this stubborn face when she looked at Haruka, but they did not change. They were still her twins. They were still the same in every way but one. She sighed inwardly, again, and thought that she needed to have a chat with her daughter.

"As long as you all are fine with it, what can we do?" Nariko finally said.

'Whoa… Well, you could react like you always do when I pull that fact on you, Okaa-san, and tell him that it is a ridiculous idea and spare me the struggle.' She looked down at her salad. Where was her mother's temper when she needed it?

*** * ***

Nanami and Sora, fully aware of the situation among the twins and Michiru, and in charge of planning the bachelor and bachelorette parties, decided to join their forces and do one big party. They picked out one of the smaller clubs managed by the Kaioh Group, filling it with professional dancers on raised podiums and stages, and guests from all over the world. They invited two DJs: Michiru's and Haru's favorites, who agreed to put their forces together and play something appropriate.

When they finally arrived to the scene, both the bride and the groom were pleasantly surprised at the amount of friends they were not expecting: Haru had visitors from the US, while Michiru's friends came from all over Europe. They were dancing, and drinking, and enjoying the show. The night was an official success, no matter which way you put it.

Haruka was sitting at the bar, watching Michiru dance in a company of her girlfriends. A question of whether Michiru had sex with any of them slipped her mind, but she dismissed it, knowing that Michiru would not be friends with her one-night-stands, just like Haruka herself would not. There were a lot of attractive girls on the floor, most of whom she did not know, yet she had no inclination to join them. It was quite out of character to sit by the bar all night, but Haruka did not know what was in character anymore. It all seemed to go south since she woke up alone in a bed in a hotel room and made a decision not to sneak out. Every step she made after that was out of character.

She did not argue with her mother. She could be stubborn and throw small temper-tantrums, but it never before reached the level of argument she had with her mother now.

She did not hide anything from her brother. Yet, she did not tell him that the goddess she slept with was his future wife. She also could not tell him about all the feelings that were tearing her apart right now. The only way she could deal with it was bury them deep inside and shut herself off. Even from him. Which she has never done before.

She did not have deep conversations with Sora. He was good for many things, but not the things her brother provided her with. It was a level of trust she ordinarily would not have extended to anyone but her twin. Yet, Sora was the one who guessed how she truly felt, who knew when to stop her from doing something stupid. And he did. This was not ordinary.

She did not have relationships. She did not contemplate on having relationships. She did not wake up with a woman she knew in her bed. She did not fantasize about her brother's girls… and Michiru was his brother's girl, whether she agreed with it or not.

She felt her brother's hand on her shoulder as he stumbled to a stool next to her. He sat down, putting his half-empty glass on the bar and looked at her. He was silent for a few moments before leaning closer so that she could hear him clearly.

"You like her."

It was not a question, it was a statement. It was said in a voice devoid of any emotions, more like a tone he used for a general statement of fact. She looked at his half-empty glass that he was still holding and then at his face.

"How many of these have you had?"

Haru waved his free hand at her and leaned on the bar more comfortably, supporting the side of his face with the hand that used to hold the glass.

"You don't have to deny it, I know you do."

She kept looking at him quietly.

"You know how I know?" He kept pushing, trying to break through the barrier she put between them ever since the announcement of his marriage.

"Because I like her too."

Haruka did not feel the need to respond. Apparently he needed to take it off his chest and her denying or agreeing to whatever he said would not make any difference in the end.

"You know, it's actually surprising how we never had this problem until now." He was looking into her deep green eyes. "We have the same taste, it's obvious that we can fall for the same girl… we just were always able to take care of this from the start… but not this time."

He sighed, straightened out and rubbed his face with both hands.

"What should I do, Ruka-chan?"

She looked at his tired face, his pained eyes. He was not even half as drunk as she thought him to be. Perhaps just enough to initiate this conversation with the way she has been avoiding him lately. Suddenly, she wished she was drunk. She wished her brain did not understand his question, her eyes did not see his pain, her heart did not feel it… She wished she could give him an answer and not feel like she was truly hurting someone, just like Michiru implied she would. She resisted closing her eyes.

"What do you want to do, Haru?"

He removed the hands from his face and dropped them on his lap. He was hiding from her answer, did not want her to see his reaction to what she said either way. But she did not give him an answer, did she?

"I don't know." He sighed thoughtfully. "You do realize that you are the first and only one who asked me what I want to do…"

She gave a single nod in her silent response, steeling herself for his answer.

"I don't think I can pull out of this. It's not just business, it's respect for our parents, it's our honor… I can't run away and hide… nor do I know if I want to. I genuinely feel like I can fall in love with her, if I have not already, I just don't know if she will be able to return the feelings… even though my heart desperately wishes she could."

Haruka gave another single nod. It was literally forced enough to push her own agony down, away from her heart, to replace it with what she thought was content of knowing that maybe, just maybe he will be able to find happiness, no matter how absurd that notion was to any logical person under the circumstances. Her feelings were not logical, they were feelings. She was thinking with all the love for her brother, her twin, that she had in her being. She looked intently into the reflection of her eyes in his before answering determinedly.

"Marry her and I will do everything I can to not be in your way."


	13. The Thing

Disclaimer: The title was inspired by "It's All About Us" song by t.A.T.u., but this story has nothing to do with it.

I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**The Thing**

The court and the pavilion have been fully prepared for the event. Tables were set, rows of chairs straightened, linens pressed. Blue and white forget-me-nots decorated the tables, the walls, the entrances, the sides of the rows, and the altar.

Guests started to arrive around two o'clock, well in advance of the wedding scheduled for four in the afternoon. The parents of the bride and the groom met and mingled with the guests, their social masks hard in place. Worry was only allowed in their eyes when they looked at each other. No one else was allowed to know about the hysteria that almost consumed the seemingly composed prominent couples.

*** * ***

Michiru looked at herself in the mirror again. Her gown fit her as perfectly as it did in the beginning of the week, despite the ungodly amount of ice cream she has consumed since then. Her hair was pulled, curled in small ringlets and pinned to her head. A veil was set in the middle of those ringlets, falling down to where the bodice met the flowing fabric of the skirt. Her makeup was done to accentuate her natural beauty, but not overwhelm it.

Her physical state signaled that she was ready. Her emotional state was far from it. She looked at her maid of honor, trying to maintain her composure.

Nanami was wearing the blue dress they picked out. A portion of her hair was pulled up, while another portion cascaded down her back. It was elegant and spunky at the same time - something only Nanami could pull off. Her makeup was a little stronger that Michiru's. It brought out her blue eyes and accentuated her high cheekbones.

The door opened slowly and Nanami ran for it, oblivious to the fact that she could trip over the long dress.

"The groom is not supposed to…" Her eyes fell to the blue vest and she let go of the door.

"Can you give us a minute?"

She looked quickly at Michiru, whose face was devoid of any emotion, nodded and walked out of the door, closing it tightly behind her.

Haruka stood with her back to the, door admiring the sight in front of her. She was simply stunning. Her sight alone made Haruka forget everything she was going to say, like it did not matter anymore. Like nothing mattered but the goddess in front of her.

They both shared that silence, just looking at each other. As minutes passed, all rage, fury, and frustration of the last few days were gone.

Haruka finally slowly moved towards the bride. She walked up to her and stopped with less than a foot between them. She put her hands on the corseted sides of Michiru's waist and held her in place, unsure if she wanted to pull her closer or move her away. Their foreheads connected. They stood still, the time completely lost on them.

"I am so sorry." She finally forced out. She put all her feelings in this simple phrase, all her pain. Everything she was unwilling to elaborate on. Even to herself. Everything she kept inside.

She felt a hand cup her cheek. She looked up into deep wet sapphires and felt soft lips on her own. Their faces connected in a sweet, heartfelt, tender kiss, their tears mixing together as they fell down. The hurt, the pain... the agony felt by both women became one, baptized in the salty liquid on their cheeks.

They pulled apart and Haruka let go of the tiny waist, wiping her face with both hands. She looked at Michiru for a long moment and left without another word, afraid that any other motion, any other sound would break that resolve and make her do something she would deeply regret. Then again, she had a nagging feeling that she did exactly that by walking out of the door.

She saw her mother out of the corner of her eye as she exited Michiru's suite and made her escape in the opposite direction. Nariko opened the door and saw still motionless Michiru, streaks of tears on her still wet cheeks. Nariko smiled at her gently and closed the door, never entering the room. The fake smile fell off her face as the red haze skewed her vision. She turned and went to find her daughter.

*** * ***

Nariko walked the hallways of the hotel, trying to figure out where her daughter may be. She was not in the groom's suite where Nariko checked first, so the woman was running out of options. Her gaze fell on a door with an exit sign above it. She looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, trying to concentrate on the girl she used to know and what she would do. After another second's hesitation, she pushed it open and walked up the stairs.

She saw her standing by the railing at the edge of the roof, looking at the bay. The wind was gliding around, if not through, her, ruffling her blonde hair. She did not acknowledge the presence of another human being in her space.

The sight did nothing to calm Nariko down.

"What did you do?"

Haruka did not even flinch at the low growl she was becoming accustomed to. It did not matter. Nothing mattered anymore. If her mother thought that there was anything she could do to hurt her more than she was hurting already, she was deeply mistaken. She did not turn, she just kept standing, motionless, her hands at her sides, her head raised up high, facing the bay.

"What is it that you would like to know, Okaa-sama?"

Nariko stepped backwards from the emotionless voice of her daughter, as well as her address. She felt a tinge of pain, but it was not enough to stop her from what she came here to do. She has forgotten the thought she had only two days ago, when she wanted to talk to Haruka, to reconnect with the girl she loved so dearly, but felt she no longer knew.

"What did you do to Michiru-chan?"

'What did Michiru-chan do to me?'

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play with me, Haruka, you know exactly what I mean. She was crying when you left her suite, has been for a while, judging by the non-existent makeup."

"Have you ever thought that it was not me who made her cry, but you? You, who decided to arrange a marriage between two people that do not know each other, do not love each other, may never be happy with each other?" She still refused to turn.

Nariko felt like she was slapped on her face. Had she not been hysterical since this morning, had she not been mad out of her senses, she would have given Haruka's statement a thought. As it was, she simply lost it. She walked up to her daughter, roughly turning her around.

"How dare you? What do you know? How would you know if they have a chance at happiness? How do you know if they love each other? How do you know what love…-" She did not finish her angry tirade as Haruka's tear-soaked face finally appeared directly in front of her. She has never seen this anguish in her daughter's face. Has not seen her daughter without any masks in a long while. Has not felt that hurt by what she saw.

"I know what love is, Okaa-san. I know what it is better then you do, because, unlike you, who had a chance to be with the one you love, I had to let the love of my life go for a non-existent chance of happiness with another person I love. I had to choose between two people I love more than myself. Now can you say that, Okaa-san?" Haruka pulled her elbow out of her mother's hold.

"So please, don't lecture me on love and hurting people, because, unless you are standing in my shoes right now, you know nothing about what hurt is. You think you are all-knowing, so how come you did not see this coming, Okaa-san? How come you did not know who I truly am?" She stared at her mother, unable to move, drained of all her energy by the hurtful words, by the even more hurtful feelings.

Nariko could not move either. Her brain tried to process everything Haruka just said, yet her heart seemed to act faster. The pain in Haruka's face, in her words tore Nariko's heart into pieces. She closed her eyes, unable to breathe. She knew her daughter was gay, has known that for a long time, but was waiting for Haruka to finally admit to it. But not like this. This she did not see coming. She did not know that both of her twins would fall in love with the same girl. Did not know that she would be one of the people that decided their fate, without consulting Michiru, without giving them a chance to figure it out. It was tearing her apart as the first tears finally broke through her denial and the hysteria, now fully justified, consumed her entire being.

She opened her eyes and embraced her motionless child. Clinging to her like a lifeline in a deep ocean of torment.

"I am so sorry, Ruka-chan." Her voice drowned in her tears for a moment.

She was too afraid to let go, too afraid to look at her daughter. Too afraid that it was too late. That she has lost her because she forgot who she was. Her daughter. Nariko's quiet sobs and heavy tears did not seem to have an end to them. Maybe she deserved to drown in them.

"Will you ever find it in yourself to forgive me?"

She suddenly felt two hands moving up to her back, pulling her deeper into the embrace. She reacted by only crying harder. She did not deserve this. She did not deserve Haruka's forgiveness that easily. Her child did not deserve what her parents did to her. Neither did Haru. Neither did Michiru. For the first time in her life she cursed the business they have built, she cursed the friendship that was so dear to her heart that she decided to make those people her family by sacrificing her child, and most of all, she cursed herself. For ever thinking that this was a good idea. That it was going to be alright.

Haruka finally ran out of tears. She had no idea how long they have been standing on the roof. Didn't care. Didn't care if the ceremony was over. She would have preferred it that way, but she knew that they would have found them first. It did not matter. She knew she would not cry anymore. She has accepted it for what it was. After her angry outburst. After the hurtful words to her mother that she never wanted to voice. Her mother was yet another person she loved and it pained her to hurt her too. She just did not have any choice. In the end, it was worth it. It brought them back together, cleansed them of everything they have never shared. It felt… satisfying. Satisfying to know that there was one person in the world that truly knew how she felt. That truly knew how she suffered. It was satisfying to say it out loud. For the first and last time. It helped her accept it. Accept her feelings for what they were and the choice she made. She chose her brother over the woman she loved. She kept her promise to herself to always keep him her number one. Despite her obvious pain. Despite Michiru's obvious pain. She was a hypocrite and she accepted that too. She accepted it all on its face. Cried about it. And put it away so far that even the tiniest ray of light could not reach it.

She pulled away after the wind finally dried her face. She looked into her mother's black eyes, unable to give her any strength. She simply gave her a nod, took her hand in her own and walked to the door, opening the next chapter of her life along with it.

*** * ***

Nanami saw the blonde get on the roof of the hotel from her position in the courtyard. Unable to see her face from that distance, but correctly guessing that her sister needed someone by her side, she quickly excused herself and almost ran to Michiru's suite.

Michiru still has not moved when Nanami reached the door. Her tears stopped, but the wide tracks that they left in her foundation told her sister just how much she cried. Nanami silently walked to Michiru and embraced her, careful enough not to ruin the dress in addition to her ruined makeup.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Michiru shook her head and separated herself from the tight embrace.

"No, but I do think I need to have my makeup redone. We don't want the main actress to ruin the play, do we?"

Nanami instantly knew that Michiru retreated back into her shell, but did not know if she wanted to make her come out again. Maybe not today. Maybe she can help her sister through this later. After this godforsaken day was over. After all those people that seemed to matter, yet did not, were gone.

"I will go find someone to help you with that."

Michiru nodded gratefully in response.

Nanami walked towards the suite she last saw the make-up artist in and stumbled upon her mother walking towards Michiru's suite. Miho smiled at her daughter as she approached. Nanami did not return the smile, but stopped when they were next to each other. She looked at her mother thoughtfully and for the second time that week put her manners aside.

"Okaa-san, I love you." She saw Miho's smile widen. "...but if you ever do to me what you did to Michi-chan, I promise you to run away and never come back."

With that she looked straight ahead and moved forward in pursuit of the makeup artist. Miho, on the other hand, kept standing in the same spot, her smile long gone, a cold vise creeping up her heart.

*** * ***

She was standing at the back of the pavilion, unnoticed by anyone. Her father was standing next to her. She watched Haru walk up with her mother, followed by the rest… They looked just like on Thursday, except for their clothing and their much stiffer postures. Michiru could see it in all of them. Haruka seemed taller than Haru, raising her head up high, while Haru hunched under the weight of… Michiru did not even know what bothered him - she never took enough time to find out or to care. She almost felt bad. Almost.

Her mother seemed troubled ever since she entered her room after Nanami left. She deserved it in Michiru's eyes, though she would never openly admit to it. Both Tenohs seemed frozen with their spines as straight as a needle. She did not know if it was their sudden realization of what they did once the day has arrived or if it was something else that happened. It did not matter. They all made them miserable. They deserved to be miserable as well; and, since Michiru did not personally make them miserable, she felt no guilt. The prosecutors seemed to be the ones being punished along with those about to serve their sentence.

Even her father was uncharacteristically quiet. He just stood next to her, watching them as well. Watching the parade of shame that his friends participated in, not that anyone besides his friends and him knew that that indeed was what it was.

Shame.

Guilt.

Torment.

Eating all four of them up.

Honor, stupid meaningless honor that stopped them from calling it all off. Despite the shame, despite the guilt, despite the torment… their and their children's.

He saw the twins reach the altar and remembered that sunny day in the park, twenty-two years ago. When he did not understand. When he did not see the bond. When he doubted Nariko's and Riku's words. Today he saw that bond being deformed by his own actions. By his friend's actions. He saw it in the way they have behaved towards each other since the announcement. So different from what it used to be. Different not by their choice. By their parents' choice. By his and Miho's choice. He remembered the day when Michiru was born. How happy they all were. How blind in their beliefs and desires. He sighed for the last time and turned to face his daughter.

Michiru looked up at him and accepted his extended elbow. She put her small hand through, gathered her courage and faced the crowd. It was worse than any stage fright she may have ever felt in her life. At least on stage she did something she loved, she could block everyone out and concentrate on her violin. No such luck here.

She ignored their excitement about her dress, about the way she looked so… majestic… so royal. To her, she could have been walking naked. It would not have made any difference. It could not be any worse than it already was.

She found herself being put in place by her father and felt a brief kiss on her cheek, saw his encouraging smile, knowing full well that he himself did not have that courage. She saw him walk and take his seat next to her mother. Next to her crying mother. She stole a glance at Nariko and found tears on her face as well, her hand clutching her husband's.

'It's about time you felt like I did.'

She faced her fiancé fully, gracing him with her attention. He seemed to have the same mask on his face as she did. A blank expression. Nothing could penetrate through it.

She concentrated on what the minister was saying.

Followed everything she was supposed to do.

On cue.

Never skipping a beat.

She saw the rings being brought up.

She saw Haru take hers, forced herself to take his.

Watched him place a band on her finger, heard his words.

Heard the minister address her.

Raised the band.

Took his hand.

Put the ring on the finger.

And said her "I do," her eyes never once leaving the deep emeralds, not even when her husband pulled her in and kissed her gently on the lips.

Sapphires and emeralds never left each other.

*** * ***

The dinner tasted like cardboard to everyone except the guests. Even Sora could not find it in himself to taste the flavor. Neither could he find a joke. Or a topic for conversation. Like everyone else at the newlywed's table he felt empty. He got another dry martini and walked to the cursed table nonetheless.

"The pavilion has been set up. We can walk over and give the first dance, whenever you are ready." He looked at their blank expressions. "You are not required to stay after that, so you may feel free to disappear, I will handle the rest."

Haru nodded at him. An emotion, namely appreciation, was the first one he allowed to come through the mask all night. He just wanted to get out. To go back to the beach house and hide in his lair. Away from the world. Even though he knew that because of his decision it was no longer their lair. For the first time since they got the house, a woman was going to step into it and stay. Despite that notion, he just wanted to get away.

Michiru, unbeknown to her, shared his feelings. She knew she was going to leave to be in _their_ house, where she was a stranger. Perhaps even unwelcome. However, anything was better than this. Having to sit here and pretend that she cared, pretend that she was happy. Accept congratulations and praises from people she barely knew, if even that. A thought that she could be alone, perhaps walk to the beach, was soothing.

The only thing stopping Haruka from getting up and leaving was the fact that she did not have her car. She thought about calling one of her minions, whose services she has not used in a while, since she stopped going to the office, and make them go get it, but decided against it. She was supposed to share the limo with the newlyweds on the way to their house. 'A happy little family.' She snorted into her mojito. She wanted to go home and go for a run. Maybe even in the tux. She did not feel like spending time on changing. Maybe she should give them time to tour the house. Let them be alone. It was their wedding night, after all. All she needed was a good long run. That was it. That was what she was going to do when she got out of the limo. That or go for a ride. A very long, speedy ride.

Haru finally pulled his chair away and extended his hand to his wife, signaling to Sora to make an announcement of the first dance. The goddess accepted his hand and walked with him to the pavilion. They waited for those that followed them to come in. The first notes of tango filled the quiet night, putting the two figures in the middle of the dance floor in motion.

They caught their spectator's breath. They were beautiful, their bodies matching perfectly, their passion and devotion to each other showing through their moves. A collective sigh reached their ears. They looked at each other, half smiling and thinking the same thing, hearing the flamboyant dance instructor's words...

_"If you don't have it, learn how to fake it."_

*** * ***

Just like so many times before when they were organizing the wedding, the limo pulled in front of the beach house. They got out and watched it go, standing in complete silence, happy to finally be left alone.

Haruka considered going for a ride again, but then counted the number of drinks she consumed in her head and grimaced.

"I am going to go for a long walk. Don't wait up on me." Not waiting for their reply, she turned around and walked to find her sneakers. Tux was OK, dress shoes definitely not so.

They watched her go in silence until she disappeared in the door, reappeared looking silly in a tux and sneakers, and disappeared again, this time behind the house. Finally, Haru realized that he was being rude and invited his wife to her new home.

Michiru walked through the door and took in the view. It was stylish, organized, clean… clinical… or devoid of any femininity. In her view. Also, devoid of any personality. In her view. The fact that this house was built and furnished by both twins to their taste, which happened to be the same, but slightly different from hers, was beyond Michiru's knowledge at this point.

"It's not big, but we have always found it to be everything we need." He walked into the kitchen. "Would you like anything to drink?"

She shook her head.

"Please feel like you are at home, it is your home as much as it is ours from now on." He sipped on the cold water and looked at her thoughtfully.

Michiru was not looking at him. She just realized that the darkness on the other side of the house, spanning from one side to the other, meant that it was a glass wall. Meaning that you could see the ocean from everywhere on the first floor. She was looking forward to doing so a lot.

"There is a master bedroom and two other bedrooms upstairs." He waited until she faced him again. "Would you prefer to share the master bedroom or would you like to use the empty bedroom… for now?"

She heard the hesitation in his voice. She was surprised at his question, assuming that they would share the bedroom and not knowing that she would be given an option.

"I think it would be… more comfortable… for both of us if I used the spare bedroom… until we get to know each other better."

'Or forever.'

Haru sighed, although she was not sure if it was relief or disappointment. "I thought so too."

He put the glass away and walked to the stairs. "Let me show you where it is."

She followed him up.

"These doors lead to the terrace outside. It wraps around the house. On the right is the master suite." He walked to one of the doors on the left. "And this is the bedroom that… I guess… is yours now." He looked at her before turning the knob and flicking the light on.

She was a bit disappointed by the fact that the bedroom did not face the ocean, even though you could still see it from one of the windows on the side of the house. However, that was still better than sharing the room with Haru.

It looked like the rest of the house. The walls were white. The window was big, a simple linen curtain covering it for privacy. The podium bed was made of light wood that matched the floor. The nightstands and commode matched the bed. The only splash of color was a blanked pulled over the white sheets. It was her favorite color. Like someone already knew that she would choose to stay here. She looked up at him questioningly.

"The nights are getting cooler, so I thought you may want to use an extra blanket."

She smiled at him. From her heart. It was very thoughtful of him - both the bedroom and the blanket in her favorite color and she truly appreciated it. "Thank you."

He blushed slightly, not expecting such a reaction to a small thing, but was extremely happy he decided to do it. He entered the room and walked to a sliding door on the side.

"This is the closet." He pulled the door open and Michiru stepped through it. It was bigger than she expected, especially for what obviously was a guest bedroom. She looked at the empty shelves and that was when it dawned on her.

"I didn't bring any clothes."

They looked at each other in complete amusement. It never occurred to them before. It was yet another thing they had to plan and did not, like their nonexistent honeymoon. Haru looked at her beautiful wedding gown again and tried to figure out something fast.

"I am sure you can borrow some clothes from Ruka-chan until we go and pick up your stuff tomorrow."

She nodded, not having much of a choice. She watched him walk to the third door in the room.

"This is the bathroom. It connects your bedroom to Ruka-chan's, so you girls will have to figure out how to use it together." He was walking to the door on the other side of the bathroom, so he never saw the shocked expression on his wife's face.

Her bedroom was connected to Haruka's? She was supposed to share the bathroom with her? All of a sudden the idea of having her own room lost its brilliance.

Haru opened the door and Michiru stepped into Haruka's world. She instantly felt like she was invading her privacy, but curiosity won and she looked around. The room was similar to hers, only instead of a window on the side, Haruka had a wall full of glass. Her bed was the same, only her sheets were made of golden satin, which surprised Michiru. First because it was definitely a splash of color, unlike what she witnessed downstairs, and second because she never pictured Haruka liking satin… not that she put too much thought into what Haruka liked before.

She turned her attention to the closet where Haru disappeared. She entered it and her mouth fell wide open. First, one wall was completely occupied by dark suits and different shirts. That was expected, though, perhaps not in this quantity.

Second, a third of the opposite wall was occupied by what Michiru never expected to see in Haruka's closet - dresses, skirts, tops, shorts… she instantly recognized the leather outfit from Balenciaga that Haruka has worn before, as well as the skirt that could have been easily confused for a piece of fabric, the one Haruka was wearing when they met. Most of the outfits were dark, but some were actually colorful. There were no pastels and Michiru could bet that most of those outfits were meant to make a statement of one sort or another.

Third, Michiru's already spinning head registered shelves full of shoes… Black flat dress shoes only filled half of those shelves. The rest were full of… heels… High heels… scary, sexy heels… including those boots that caught Michiru's breath away.

"Does she ever wear those?" She could not contain herself.

Haru looked at the shoes Michiru was staring at and chuckled. "Yes, she does. Mostly when she goes out with me, but sometimes when she goes out by herself or to some other special events… they are really meant to shock someone who knows her out of their consciousness once they think they have her figured out."

"I can see that." Michiru was still unable to close her mouth. "How tall is she in those?"

Now Haru laughed openly. "Tall enough to be noticed even if she was not wearing the attraction-catching outfits she does with them. Although, unlike me, you can wear similar heels and preserve the height difference. I just look ridiculous with her towering next to me."

Michiru pictured that and laughed as well. She remembered Haruka being taller than Haru at the club. It was kind of funny to watch because Haru was by no means short.

She watched him open some of the drawers next to the shoe shelves. He seemed determined to find something.

"I swear it has to be here… somewhere." He kept moving layers of organized clothing aside and putting it back before moving on to the next drawer.

"What are you looking for?" She finally gave in.

"I gave her this nightgown once as a joke because I knew she would never wear it, but it would suit you perfect."

She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean. He caught her expression and grimaced.

"It is too feminine for Ruka-chan."

"Ah."

He finally pulled out a simple silk nightgown. It did not look unnecessarily short, nor was it too long. The lace gave it away as being too feminine for Haruka to wear, probably even to shock someone's consciousness. It just was not her.

"There you go." He extended it to her. "I am sure you can get something else from her in the morning to wear during the day."

"Thank you." Michiru gave him a small appreciative smile and followed him out to her own bedroom.

*** * ***

She did not know how long she has been running. She was not tired physically, but drained emotionally. Too much happened that day. She tried to run away from it, hoping that the wind would help her get rid of her thoughts, but it did not. She still remembered the anguished blue eyes. The hurt black eyes. The empty green ones. Apparently it was not going to go away, no matter how long she ran.

She picked up the vest, jacket and tie that lay on the sand, where she left them in her pursuit of getting as fast and as far away as she could. She saw the dark house close ahead.

'They must be asleep.'

Something caught her attention on the left. She turned her head and could barely make out a silhouette standing in the water, bathed in the moonlight. She slowly walked to the edge of the water, stopping before the water reached her sneakers.

"You will catch a cold in this weather."

Michiru turned around to look at the woman still trying to catch her breath. She looked ridiculous. Her white sneakers and white shirt, sleeves rolled up, some of the buttons opened, stood out agains the darkness of the night and her black trousers. Michiru pulled the blue blanket tighter around herself and shrugged. She did not care if she got a cold. She needed to be alone. Being alone with the ocean was what she wanted and what she did. Nothing else mattered.

"Come on, I don't want to be responsible for the dolphins stealing you away."

'Lame.'

'Lame.'

She moved out of the water nonetheless and walked with her bare feet in the sand, next to her sister-in-law. They walked up to the house in silence. Haruka opened the door and switched the light on. She looked at Michiru's sandy feet and extended her vest.

"Here, you can use this to clean them up."

Michiru looked at the blue vest, hesitating for a second before accepting it and wiping her feet dry outside of the front door. Her blanket parted and Haruka winced at the white gown.

"Suits you much better than it would ever suit me."

Michiru looked up at her. "Thanks. I do not have any clothes, so Haru-san gave it to me."

Haruka nodded in understanding. "Feel free to get something else from my closet to wear in the morning."

Michiru just nodded.

"Good night then." Haruka turned and went for the stairs.

"Good night." Michiru echoed as she closed the front door.

*** * ***

Haruka jumped in the shower before she escaped into the coolness of her sheets. Once there, she closed her eyes and put an end to this day.

Michiru was laying in her bed, listening to the running water and wondering if Haruka realized that she was just beyond a thin wall. The water died off and she listened to the silence. She decided that it was not as bad as it could have been, all things considered. She closed her eyes and hoped that tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that would not be worse.

Haru gave a last glance to the moonlit ocean, tracing the way where his sister and his wife returned from the water with his eyes once again. His forehead was touching the pane of the cool glass, taking some of the heat away from his head. It was the first time he was alone all day. He needed to be alone. He was not blind, he saw everything everyone else saw and more...

He saw the older Kaioh's and Tenoh's anguish, saw their sorrow, but it did not change anything, just like his own did not change anything. He saw his twin avoiding him the whole day. He even knew why. He also finally understood why Haruka was distant and how she could put up that barrier between them. It was not meant so. It was a barrier she put in place from the world, when she buried her feelings so deep inside that there was a void between the reality and Haruka he knew. He understood that when he did that himself that morning.

He thought about the conversation they shared the night before. He was not sure if he wanted Haruka to come out and openly confess to him that she had feelings for his now wife, not that he needed a confession to see it; or if he wanted her to do what she did: deny herself for him. It hurt either way. There really were no winners in this situation. For the umpteenth time he wondered what on earth possessed their parents to do this to them, especially knowing that they regretted it. He saw them all walk up to the altar from where he stood. He saw the shame, the guilt, the torment in their eyes, despite the masks. They could not fool him. Yet they followed through. He knew they had to at this point. It was about their families' honor.

That is why he followed through. That and the fact that he truly had feelings for Michiru. He wanted her to return them, which is why he decided to take a soft approach and give her a choice. He knew how absurd it was to put her in a room next to his sister. For them to share a bathroom. But he trusted Haruka's word. She told him that she would not be in his way, so that he could have his chance at happiness, and he knew she meant it. A thought of having to deal with his angry sister in the morning entered his mind and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Yes, she will be pissed once she finds out that he put the girl she likes in the empty bedroom. He was looking forward to seeing Haruka he knew in the morning. He wanted some of the former normalcy back.

He finally separated himself from the glass. This was definitely not how he may have pictured his wedding night to be; but, like with so many other things this past month, what could he do? He accepted it for what it was and hoped that it will take a turn for the better… eventually. He turned and walked to his big empty bed, falling in it face down and burying his wet face in the pillow.


	14. The New Chapter

Disclaimer: The title was inspired by "It's All About Us" song by t.A.T.u., but this story has nothing to do with it.

I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**The New Chapter**

Michiru opened her eyes when the rays of sunlight reached her through the window. She looked out of it from her bed and smiled at the ocean. Yes, this was definitely not as bad as she thought it would be. She got up and stretched. Then she decided to take that shower she opted against last night when Haruka beat her to it. She walked into the bathroom and looked to see if there was a lock on the door. Surprisingly, there was none. She made a mental note and looked around.

The bathroom had both a shower and a bath, which made her sigh with appreciation. She took her nightgown off and stepped into the shower. She thoroughly cleansed herself, only to step out of the enclosure and realize that she did not think about a towel. She looked around, but did not see any folded clean ones. She did spot a white fluffy one hanging on a bar, though. Figuring that she has shared with the blonde a lot more than could ever be shared through the towel, she grabbed it. She immediately inhaled the familiar smell of the products she herself just used and that other special smell that could only be Haruka. She pulled the towel away from her flushed face and concentrated on drying herself.

She brushed her hair, wrapped the towel around herself and quietly turned the nob after only a minute's hesitation. The room was gloomy with the curtains and, probably, blinds pulled up tight on the glass wall. The blonde was wrapped in her golden sheets, as though she was fighting them all night. Judging by the fact that she looked trapped, Michiru figured that the sheets won.

She skipped quietly to the closet, slid the door closed and flipped the lights on. She walked over to the shelf that caught her attention last night and looked through the funky outfits.

**x x x  
**

Haruka opened her eye after she heard a strange muffled noise coming from her closet. She stretched lazily and looked in the direction of the noise, only to throw her sheets to the side and jump up when she saw the light coming through the crack at the bottom of the door. She walked to it and pulled the door aside.

Her jaw dropped at the sight: Michiru, wrapped in Haruka's towel, her hair wet and falling down her back, was standing in front of the mirror, putting Haruka's outfits in front of herself.

"What the hell are you doing?" Haruka finally found her voice.

Michiru jumped slightly, not hearing the blonde approach and open the door because of her own thoughts. She looked at the woman standing in the door, wearing boy shorts and a t-shirt.

"You told me that I could wear some of your clothes in the morning…" Michiru all of a sudden hesitated.

"I did not mean that you can barge into my bedroom when I am asleep and rummage through my closet!" She felt irritated. She did not know why.

Maybe she did. There was a half-naked woman in her closet! In her towel!

"And why the hell do you have my towel wrapped around yourself?"

Michiru dropped the clothes she was holding on a little stool sitting in front of the mirror and took the towel off, handing it to the blonde. "You can have it back."

Haruka's eyes doubled in size and she turned beet-red. She quickly walked to the aquanette, grabbed the towel and put it around her again.

"That is not what I meant!" She walked back to the door frame, away from danger. "I meant didn't Haru give you your own? Couldn't you have used his?" She dared to face the now smug girl in her closet again.

Michiru pulled the towel in its original position and faced the blonde with her hands on her hips. "I got in the shower not realizing that I did not have a towel and yours was the only one I saw."

"I beg you pardon?" Haruka still did not understand how Michiru could have grabbed her towel from her brother's bathroom. It did not make any sense.

"Uhh… I took a shower..." Now Michiru pointed in the direction of the shower, treating Haruka like a child. "...and your towel was the only one in there."

Now she got it. 'Wait, why did she take a shower in my bathroom?'

"Why did you take a shower in my bathroom?" Haruka even raised an eyebrow to further her point.

"Because it is _our_ bathroom, not _your_ bathroom for the duration of my stay next door." The smug smile returned to her face.

Haruka felt like her jaw was starting to hurt from the exercise of dropping down, only to be forced back up. "Why are you staying in the bedroom next door? That is the most ridiculous idea I have heard of since… it doesn't matter… it's stupid!"

"Your brother and I tend to disagree. We decided to use separate bedrooms… until we get to know each other." She explained patiently.

'Great! This is just great! Don't bother to consult me, it's not like I live here or anything.'

Now she was annoyed at her brother and the woman standing in her closet. And she thought she was starting a new chapter of her life. Apparently it was not much different from the previous chapter. The torture will still be there, this time with a vengeance.

"Ok." She took a deep breath. "Let's find something to dress you up in, so that you leave me alone… to wake up properly."

"You seem pretty awake to me." Michiru's good mood was making her unstoppable.

Haruka sighed in exasperation and walked to the clothes on the stool. She rummaged through the outfits that Michiru has picked and dismissed them all as too much to wear during the day,

"I see you were having fun."

Michiru only gave her a cheeky smile back. Haruka walked to the shelf and quickly looked through her possessions. She pulled out a dark green dress. It was form-fitting, but not as short as the other ones. Considering that Michiru was shorter, it would probably almost reach her knees. She then opened a drawer and started pulling one of the belts out, only to shove it back as she realized that it may be too much in the daylight. She pulled out a wide black elastic band and leather belt, followed by a pair of black Louboutin pumps. The heel was high and there was a platform, but she was sure Michiru could handle it.

She walked over to the toweled woman and handed her everything she was holding, took a note of the smile finally sliding off of her face and headed for the door, only to stop by another set of drawers. She thought for a minute and then opened one. She pulled out black boy shorts with her index finger and dropped them on top of the pile Michiru was already holding.

"Sorry, you will have to live without a bra." Now she finally did get out of the closet, closing the door behind herself.

Michiru stared at the door for a while before looking down at the pile in her hands. She set it down and dropped the towel down to her feet. She grabbed the black piece of underwear first. The thoughts going through her mind as she put it on made her blush, even though no one was around. She slipped on the dress next. It fit perfect, though she never doubted it would. The belt followed. She tried the shoes on and, surprisingly, they also fit. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.

_Well, who knew that Haruka liked to play with dolls._ She took the shoes off, picked up the towel and headed back to her bedroom. She heard the shower running, but entered the bathroom nonetheless.

"You can leave the towel where you found it."

She put the towel on the rack and walked past the shower enclosure to her own room, avoiding the sight. After she set the shoes on the floor, she walked back in.

"Do you have a toothbrush I can borrow?"

A grunt was her first answer. "No, I do not have a stash of toothbrushes in my bathroom Michiru-chan. You can use mine."

Michiru smiled at how Haruka has called her and located the toothbrush.

"Where is your hairdryer?"

"Will you ever go away?" Haruka shut the water off and stepped out of the enclosure, reaching for the towel. She noticed Michiru's blush in the mirror. "Yeah, payback is a bitch."

She started drying herself off, ignoring the fact that she was naked in the bathroom with her sister-in-law. It seemed to be pointless anyway.

"It's in there." She motioned to a cupboard with her head. She wrapped the towel around herself, just like Michiru had not so long ago.

Michiru reached for the hairdryer and set out to fight with her half-dry and, thus, unruly hair.

"Move over, you are not alone." Haruka bumped Michiru's hip with her own to gain control of the sink. She grabbed the still wet toothbrush and a tube of paste.

Both tried to ignore each other as much as they could in the close proximity they shared. Haruka was done first, walking out of the bathroom without another word. Michiru finished drying her hair, searched for some kind of hair product, gave up, and decided that she was as prepared to go downstairs as she would ever be. She picked up the pumps and carried them downstairs with her. She smelled coffee as she took the first step and heard the twins talking quietly in the kitchen. Apparently Haruka barely beat her there.

"I found a surprise in my closet this morning." Haruka reached for the fridge and took out a package of eggs. Her voice was quiet, but quite annoyed.

"Oh?" Haru replied, taking three cups out of the cupboard.

"Your wife." Haruka looked at her brother as she turned around and set the eggs down.

"Oh… I may have told her that she can borrow some of your clothes." He put the cups down and grabbed the coffee pot, avoiding her stare and smiling internally.

"So did I, but I still did not expect to find her playing dress up in there… Not to mention sharing a bathroom with her." She leaned on the counter and faced him fully. "Why am I sharing a bathroom with her, Haru?"

Haru poured coffee in the first two cups. "Because I felt that it would be more appropriate to offer her a choice of where to stay than to force her in an uncomfortable position. You would have done the same." He moved the coffee pot over the third cup and stopped himself before filling it up. "Does she prefer tea or coffee?" He looked at his sister.

"How the hell should I know, she's your wife."

Haru raised a challenging eyebrow. "What color is her underwear?"

"Black." She answered automatically without giving it a thought as she started to break eggs into an omelet. A slight color crept up her neck as she realized the implication of knowing the intimate details of Michiru's clothes. "I only know that because I gave it to her."

"Point proven nonetheless. So, coffee or tea?" Haru kept staring.

"Michiru-chan, do you prefer coffee or tea?" Asked Haruka without raising a voice. She was still looking at the meal she was preparing. "You can come down now."

They both heard her walk down the stairs.

"Tea please." She was blushing, yet again. She did not mean to snoop.

Haruka smirked at her and Haru before turning back to her omelet.

Haru smiled at Michiru appreciatively. "Good morning Michiru-chan, you look good." He decided to call her like Haruka did, she was his wife after all.

Michiru decided to play along. "Thank you, Haru-chan. Haruka-chan decided I was taking too long and picked an outfit just to get rid of me." She smiled.

"Ruka-chan, I did not realize you like to play with dolls. You should have mentioned it before, I would have gotten you one."

Michiru chuckled. "My thoughts exactly."

Haruka just ignored them as she concentrated on beating the eggs into an even more homogeneous mass than necessary. Michiru helped them set the table and they all settled down, digging in on the western-style meal. Michiru was looking around the room in the daylight, when her eyes fell on the baby grand piano.

"Who plays the piano?"

"No one," Haruka answered quickly, still chewing on a toast. "It's just a pretty piece of furniture."

Michiru raised an eyebrow, surprised by how anyone could call a musical instrument a piece of furniture, but decided not to push it. She looked at the lovely view instead. A shrill of the phone interrupted their conversation as they were finishing up their breakfast. Haruka looked at her brother.

"Deja vu." She walked briskly and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She raised an eyebrow and, yet again, congratulated herself on being a psychic.

"Yes, mother, everything is good." She walked back to the table, switching the phone to speaker and putting her finger to her lips to let Michiru know to be quiet.

"...just worried, this being your first day and all." Nariko's concerned voice came out of the receiver.

"What did you think, we were going to kill each other? Don't worry, mother, our anger in not misdirected on each other."

Haru shot her a stern glance, she grimaced back at him. Michiru was watching, amused.

"That is rather harsh Ruka-chan, even though we deserve it." Came out of the receiver after a brief silence.

Haru stared at the phone as though it came to life and started dancing on the table, Haruka smiled in triumph.

"Sorry mother, I could not contain myself. We are fine, planning to go get Michiru-chan's things from the Kaioh Manor after we are done with breakfast."

"Michiru-_chan_'s?" Came back a surprised reply.

Haruka grabbed the phone and switched the speaker off.

"Yes. We are related now, after all."

"_I know Ruka-chan, just be careful. I don't want any of you get hurt… any more than you already are."_

"I understand. We will figure it out, don't worry."

"_I am your mother, it is my job to worry."_

Haruka smiled into the receiver. "That is why we love you. Take care, we will see you soon."

She listened to her mother's reply before hanging up the phone and placing it back where it belonged. Haru looked at Michiru, but decided to ask, despite her presence.

"Did something happen I don't know about?"

_A lot of things happened that you don't want to know about._ Haruka looked at him questioningly.

"Between you and mother." He clarified.

"We had a little chat yesterday." She looked him in the eyes.

"Did your chat have anything to do with her being unable to stop crying during the ceremony?"

"I'm not sure, I did not pay much attention to what was going on during the ceremony."_ I was too busy drowning in deep blue eyes._

Haru looked at her skeptically. "I doubt you missed her state Ruka-chan."

She did not. "Maybe, but that doesn't matter now. We clarified a few things and straightened a few other things out." She sat back down and looked at him again.

"I don't have any secrets from her anymore."

Both Haru and Michiru stared at her, both knowing exactly what she meant.

"That made her cry?" Haru finally forced out.

"No, her making a stupid decision over twenty years ago made her cry. My sexuality just served as a last blow." She gulped and kept avoiding Michiru's eyes. _That and my love for your wife._

Haru shook his head. "You shouldn't have."

"Someone had to." They both looked at Michiru. "I think Nanami-chan said something to our mother too because I saw her cry throughout the ceremony as well. They all made a stupid decision without ever consulting us, so they brought it on themselves."

"Ouch. Cold," Haruka put in.

"I didn't say that to mom's face… you did." Michiru sipped on her tea.

"Touché."

**x x x  
**

They walked into the garage and Michiru realized that she has not seen a half of it when she was concentrating on the bike. The bike was there and so where the other three now familiar cars: the Veyron, the Spider, and the California.

"I did not realize you had an SUV." She looked at the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S parked on the other side.

"I don't find sports cars particularly useful in the winter. Ruka-chan disagrees, but we sort of compromised on this one." Haru explained. "Besides, I'm sure it will fit a lot more of your stuff than Ruka-chan's cars."

"Ruka-chan's cars are not made to move people's stuff… they are made to move people." Haruka retorted.

Haru rolled his eyes at her before getting in the driver's seat. Michiru got in the passenger side and saw Haruka walk to her Veyron.

"You are not coming?" She tried not to sound disappointed.

"Nah… I'm gonna go catch up with Sora and see what his plans are. I will see you guys later." She got in and closed the door shut.

Michiru followed her example and made herself comfortable in the larger vehicle. It was strange to visit the Kaioh Manor as a guest. It was strange to pack again, after she barely unpacked from the move from Italy. Everything was strange.

**x x x  
**

She was going to go with the flow and visit the Kaioh Manor, but decided that she needed to be away from them instead. She was going to go and see Sora like she said she would, but decided to take a detour.

She was no longer thinking about everything that happened before she closed her eyes the night before; she has given it enough thought and it was over. She was thinking about this morning, trying to understand how the hell she was supposed to deal with it.

_What was he thinking?_

She slammed the steering wheel with both hands as she finished another lap. What was she supposed to do? Was that his way of paying her back for liking Michiru? Nah, he would never stoop this low. There must be another reason.

_This is so stupid._

She slammed the accelerator again, nearing the top speed. She remembered the closeness that she has shared with Michiru this morning. It was something she has never done before, yet again, but it went further than just waking up in the same bed with the aquanette. This felt… domestic. Sharing the bathroom, sharing the towel, the clothes, the toothbrush… she shivered suppressing another wave of desire that washed over her at the images in her head. She needed another lap. Or more. Many more laps.

She promised her brother she would stay out of his way and she meant it, she just did not realize that he was going to make it this much harder on her. She needed to do something to solve this. She just did not know what… yet. Maybe brainstorming with someone else was not such a bad idea. That left Sora. Yet again. She sighed and decided to see him after another lap.

She silenced the bouncing music and dialed his number as she got on the thruway.

"_Miss me already?" _His deep voice greeted her on the other end of the line.

"Don't make me regret calling you."

"_Feisty… and it's still before noon. Welcome back princess, we missed you."_

She rolled her eyes, even though he could not see her, and continued. "What and where are you up to?"

"_I'm across from my hotel enjoying a cup of coffee. Care to join me?"_

"Only because you invited me with that note of desperation in your voice." She heard him chuckle.

"_Yes, please, come and help me put the pieces of my heart back together."_

"See you there in a few, baka."

"_Love you too."_

She threw the phone on the passenger seat and allowed the loud music to envelope her once again.

**x x x  
**

He watched her walk into the café ten minutes later. As usual, she was wearing a dark form-fitting suit and light blue shirt. She located him, walked up to the table and pulled a chair in front of a cup of caramel macchiato.

"I took the liberty of getting your drink for you."

"So considerate of you." The slight smile contrasted her sarcastic tone. She did appreciate it. She took a sip and relaxed into the back of the chair.

"So, how are things at the beach house?" Sora decided to start the conversation after few minutes of silence.

"It feels quite overcrowded."

"I can only imagine."

_No, you can't._ She took another sip and put the cup down. "So when are you going back?"

He sighed and changed his position to be more comfortable. "I was thinking in a couple of days. My job here is done, but there are many more things waiting for me back home."

She nodded. "Have you given any thought to what Kaioh-san said about joining us here permanently?"

"I did." He looked at his cup thoughtfully. "What I have there is everything I need, you know that. I have the best clients one can ask for, I never have to look for a job… it comes to me. I am the master of my lifestyle."

"But?" She looked him in the eyes.

"But somehow I feel that I will be missing something when I go back."

"Nanami-san," she said softly.

"Yes." He averted his eyes. "Do you think that silly?"

"No. Someone once told me that choice is all about who you love more…" She watched him look at her again, now half-smiling. "For you, it is whether you love what you have there or what you could have here more."

He nodded. "It's just not that easy."

"You are telling me?"

"You're right. I'm sorry. My problems are nothing compared to yours." He looked at her apologetically.

"I think you should go back and see how you feel. If the life you love there suddenly seems as tasteless as that dinner we had last night, you'll know what you have to do."

He nodded again. "I think that is exactly what I am planning to do." The silence fell upon the table for a little while. "What about you?"

She contemplated whether she actually wanted to brainstorm with him like she thought earlier or not. After all, she really wanted to have a boundary between them.

"Well, I was thinking of visiting you for a while."

He looked at her in surprise. "You are always welcome to do that."

She nodded. "After some consideration I thought that I would bury myself in work instead."

"Oh?… You? Bury yourself in work?"

"Why do you sound so shocked?" She sounded offended.

"Don't take it too close to heart, but you do have a reputation." He tried to explain.

"You of all people should know that my reputation has nothing to do with who I really am."

"People judge you by your actions. You are the play girl, your brother is a workaholic."

"I spend as much time at the office as he does." She felt the necessity to defend herself, she did not know why. Generally she did not care what people thought, thus the so-called reputation; but she was talking to Sora and somehow somewhere down the line it started to matter.

"How come people don't see that?"

"Because I go in as him."

That did cause a startled reaction from Sora. "Why? I mean I remember you guys doing that in school to mess with people, but this is not college… why?"

She sighed and looked away. "I don't know. It started as a fun way to do whatever we wanted to do without others knowing. Either of us could go to the office, while the other did… whatever. Then I guess it became a habit until I realized that the board no longer took me seriously. So then I just did it to make things easier."

"And it doesn't bother you?" His voice was raised out of pure shock. "Haruka I know would never let others put her down… or look down on her for whatever reason…"

"I just never cared. Besides, they don't put me down, they are too afraid of me. They just don't really value my input."

He still looked shocked. "Were you not the one who graduated Harvard with honors? How can you allow someone to not value your input? You are a shrewd business woman!"

She grimaced. "It does not matter Sora, we got here how we got here. I am still the VP and Haru-chan is the CEO, starting tomorrow. As long as him and I know the truth, we can run the company independent of what others think."

Sora was shaking his head disapprovingly. "I still can't believe what you are saying. It just sounds ridiculous. You should do something to make it right."

"I will. Not because I am trying to make it right, but because I need something to occupy myself." She finished her drink and leaned back in the chair again. "I've been thinking of a project lately and I think it will be a good time for me to try and push it through while Haru-chan is settling in as the CEO."

"Care to share the details?" Sora somewhat calmed down.

"No." She looked at him mischievously. "But I will if you come back to work with us. I could use your help."

He smiled at her. "That's just not fair after all that talk we had about it being my choice."

"I'm not trying to influence your decision."

"Sure you're not. You just think you already know what it will be."

She returned his smile. "I know you."

Sora signaled the waitress and paid for their drinks.

"Want to go see your Nana-chan?" Haruka smirked at him as she got up.

"Sure." His toothy smile did not leave any questions about his feelings for the girl.

**x x x  
**

She looked at the empty closet again. There was nothing left; four suitcases sat on the floor by the door.

"I can't believe this is all you have." Haru looked at her from the doorway. "I think Ruka-chan has more than you do."

"Why do you think I was shocked when I entered her closet?"

"Because of the outfits and shoes you did not expect to see?"

"That too." She smiled at him and walked to her former bedside table.

"I think I will take these down." He gestured to the suitcases.

"Okay." She nodded, grabbing a jewelry box out of the drawer.

She followed him out, holding her purse and a violin case, her most precious possessions contained therein. She watched Haru put the back seats down and pack the car with her things. Nanami walked out and stood next to her.

"Do you want to take any of the drawing supplies?" Just like her sister, she was watching Haru's actions.

"No, I will do that later, once I feel more like home."

Nanami nodded in response. They both saw the sports car enter the driveway and come to a stop next to the Cayenne. Haruka and Sora got out.

"Ladies." Sora greeted, smiling.

Haru stepped from the SUV and looked at him pointedly.

"And gentleman." Sora relented. Michiru suddenly caught his attention as she handed her violin case to Haru.

"You look… wonderful, Michiru-san. I would not take something like this as your style, but it looks very good on you."

Both Michiru and Haruka raised an eyebrow at him.

"Something like what?" Haruka, her back leaning against the Veyron, beat Michiru to the punch.

Sora looked at her. "Something… that is a bit more than a day dress during the day. Something catching attraction of everyone in her presence. Something _you_ used to wear when we dated."

"Ouch." Haruka laughed.

"Good call. It is hers." Michiru congratulated. Then she looked from Sora to Haruka and back. "How long did you two date exactly?"

"And how much?" Nanami inserted.

"How much? What is that even supposed to mean?" Haruka ignored the first part.

"How close were you?"

"Hmmm…" Haruka walked up to Sora from the back, wrapped her right arm around his waist and put the side of her head on his shoulder. "We dated for three years." She felt him stiffen against her. "We were... and still are very... very close. In fact, the only person that is closer to me than Sora is my twin." That was sort of true. At least lately.

She was looking straight into the burning sapphires. 'So beautiful in their rage. Just like her sister's.' She raised her left hand and slowly stroked Sora's hanging arm with it, watching those sapphires turn into slits.

"Ruka-chan, if you don't stop, I will kiss you." Sora threatened in a very low tone, for her ears only.

She gulped, while still keeping up with her game. Haru was watching her in amusement, his hands crossed on his chest. Michiru was standing next to him, her eyebrow high on her forehead. Nanami seemed to be close to her boiling point.

"But you have nothing to worry about Nanami-san, Sora still uses the reference to a kiss as a threat." She smiled up at him before letting him go.

"I wasn't worried."

"Aha. We noticed." Now Michiru beat Haruka to the punch.

"So, any interest in having dinner together later… without the looming wedding over our heads?" Haru decided to change the topic.

"Actually, we are having a dinner together no matter what. Okaa-san invited us all." Haruka answered.

"And you were intending to tell us this when?" Haru felt slightly annoyed.

"Right now." She smiled at him evilly.

He sighed in exasperation. "Do we even have a choice? Wait, does she miss us already? It has been less than a day."

"I think it has more to do with them being worried and wanting to make sure that we are all whole and unharmed. Physically." She grew serious.

"I agree. Mom and dad have been hiding at the Tenoh Estate since they left the wedding, they just took a detour to drop me off," Nanami offered.

"Really?" Haruka, unaware that the older Kaiohs were not at home, was surprised.

"Yes, so I guess we might as well oblige and see what they are up to," Michiru agreed.

"Another fun Sunday dinner at the Tenoh Estate," Haru said sarcastically. He did not notice the facial expressions of his wife and sister at his words.

"So how should we get there?" Sora looked at the filled Cayenne.

"We won't all fit in," Michiru assessed.

"Sure we will. You two go in the Cayenne, the way you came, and we will go back in the Veyron, the way we came. Nana-chan can sit on my lap." His wolfish smile made them all laugh.

"Dream on Sora," Haruka answered. "I don't want to be responsible for any harm to the young lady."

"Finally a logical thought coming out of your mouth." Haru looked at her in mirth.

"I meant inflicted by Sora, not by my car," She retorted.

"No, thank you, I would rather not be a passenger in _that_." She pointed to the seat, only Michiru and Haruka catching on to her meaning.

Haruka looked at her quickly and averted her eyes, wondering yet again which one of the sisters was more forward. Nanami seemed to see right through the two of them and it bothered her.

"Don't worry. I'll call the driver and me and Sora-chan will see you there."

"Fine," Haruka cut off before anyone could object. "I will see you there too."

"We are going to drop off the suitcases first."

With that, they all went in different directions, closing car and house doors.

**x x x  
**

The Kaiohs were seeking refuge in the company of their friends, just like their children assumed. The event they have been looking forward to for over twenty years proved to be the exact opposite of what they expected. It was truly naive of them to think as they did, but it has never occurred to them before the wheels were put in motion. So the four of them needed to be together, in company of the only people that fully understood what they did and why, where they did not have to hide how they felt about it.

They were sitting in front of the lit fireplace, a bottle of warm sake on the coffee table between the two couches. Riku finished filling another round and relaxed back into the comfort of his couch.

"So are we sure they're even coming?" He addressed his wife, sitting next to him.

"She said that they will see us soon, but she never actually gave me an affirmative answer." Nariko snuggled deeper into her husband's embrace. She decided not to share her conversation with Haruka with anyone, including her husband, feeling that they were all overburdened as it was. It also occurred to her that while she knew her daughter's preferences, she had no idea of Michiru's. She hoped for the sakes of her son and Michiru that the woman was not like her daughter. That would turn out even more devastating. She shivered a little and felt Riku's concerned gaze. She smiled at him lovingly, trying to reassure him that it was nothing.

They turned at the sound of the front door opening at a distance. Haruka walked in, her face unreadable. She greeted them all with a bow and looked down at the sake.

"Is there another glass for me?" She gave them a small smile, indicating that they could relax in her presence, that she was not going to hurt them any more than they hurt themselves.

"Where is everyone else?" Asked Riku, signaling to the butler to get them another glass.

"Well…" She walked up to an empty chair and made herself comfortable. "The newlyweds are dropping Michiru-chan's stuff at the house. Nanami-san and Sora…"

'are probably having sex by now.' She nodded her thanks at the butler that handed her a full glass.

"..are probably waiting for the driver to bring them here." She hid her face behind the glass.

"They have been together a lot." Miho observed from the comfort of the couch.

"Yes, they have." Haruka confirmed without sharing more.

"What do you know about him? Do you know him well?" Kaito decided to use the opportunity of having Haruka to themselves.

"I know him very well, Kaioh-san. You have no reason to worry."

"That is a pretty confident statement. What makes you so sure?"

"I dated him while we were in college, we have been friends ever since. He neither needs your money nor your power, he already has it all in the US. He is honest and he cares about others. I trust him second after Onii-san. Is that sure enough for you, Kaioh-san?" She tried to make it as soft as she could, but she was annoyed. There was one thing Sora was right about that morning and it was that she would not let anyone put her down. Nor would she allow anyone to do that to those she cared for.

"It is." His look was challenging, but he knew that if Haruka of all people trusted him, he was worth it.

Nariko decided to change the topic in order to avoid any possible confrontations and they were occupied under her control until the arrival of Nanami and Sora, closely followed by the newlyweds. Haruka did not hesitate to give Nanami a dirty look at the first opportunity when no one else saw them, a payback for the reference to the car incident. Nanami blushed, but stared at her evenly in return. Haruka was definitely liking her more and more.

In contrast to the dinner that happened a month ago, this one was uneventful. There was no screaming, crying, or fighting. Perhaps because everyone was drained by what happened in the past month or perhaps because some of the bigger issues have been resolved. Whatever the reason, the dinner felt like that of a family should to everyone involved.


	15. oRb

Disclaimer: The title was inspired by "It's All About Us" song by t.A.T.u., but this story has nothing to do with it.

I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

AN: Thanks to all of you who have wished me luck on the exams!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**oRb**

_September_

"What makes you think that this is a valuable or even viable project, Tenoh-san?"

"My experience."

"And what experience would that be?"

"I do not appreciate your sarcastic tone, Ogawa-san. The fact that you are still here is not an indication that that will remain so, lest you forget that I am still your Vice President." Haruka was agitated beyond belief, but she tried to contain herself. She looked at the newly composed board of the Kaioh-Tenoh Corp.

"I understand that some of you do not know me beyond what you may have heard about me, shame on you for not being able to judge for yourselves. I understand that this board and the corporate structure is new to everyone here. However, do not fool yourselves by thinking that you know anything about me. I may not be your CEO, but my word has as much weight." She stood up and walked to the glass wall overlooking the city in the golden glow of the fall afternoon.

"We have been here for hours and have not even breached on any pertinent questions. So I will say this once and for all. My experiences differ from Haru onii-san's in only one way: I have more connections. We have the same education, we graduated with the same honors. We both know equally much about this company. While he spent all this time at the office, I have had an opportunity to see our business from inside out. What you may see as an act of socializing is exactly that, only the outcome that I value is the one you seem to miss. I know what is popular, desired by the mass. I know what has lost its attraction. And I have enough acquaintances to pull any kind of event together without ever consulting anyone else. Do any of you have the same experience?" She turned around and looked at each and every one of them slowly, truly in her mother's fashion.

"I did not think so." She walked back to her chair at the head of the table. "So why don't we disregard the last hours of my life that you wasted with stupid discussions and start from a new page?"

Haru smiled and closed the door to the boardroom that he has been standing by for a while. He walked back to his new office and grabbed one of the files, no longer concerned about the board and his sister.

**x x x**

It took her another month to fully have the board and investors backing her up. The architects, planners, engineers, and interior designers have been personally picked by the impatient Haruka with a clear understanding that this project will be their only concern in the near future. She looked at the sketches she had so far and a binder of her own ideas, grabbed her laptop and walked to the boardroom.

She looked at the long table that only seemed to grow every time she walked into the full room. All board members were present, as were Haru, Riku, Nariko, Kaito, and Miho.

"Full house." She dropped as she walked to the end of the table opposite the one where Haru was presiding and took a seat.

"We did not want to miss the show." Kaito retorted from the other end. Though they were not officially CEOs anymore, they still had stakes in the newly formed private corporation and no one dared to voice any objections to their presence.

Haruka's idea that she presented vaguely before the board a month ago had to do with the development of a small island off the coast of Japan that the former Tenoh Group owned for years. Though owning an undeveloped island was a good asset, it was never considered for any particular project. Until Haruka got bored.

She connected the projector and pressed a key on her laptop, bringing the room to a complete silence as a rendering of a number of shapes populating the island came to life on the wall.

"You are looking at the oRb project. It will be a multi-purpose destination spot, similar to the idea of the resort the Tenoh Group has built in the Japan Alps two decades ago, but taken to another level. It will be big enough to diversify the activities the visitors may be involved in on the island, but small enough for them to feel secluded from the rest of the world. It will include accommodations ranging from studios to full suites, conference rooms and centers, exhibit and performance spaces, and your general recreational activities: dining, shopping, exercising, etc."

She put on another slide, this time a more detailed rendering of one of the spheres. "Since the idea by itself is nothing new and there are many more destinations around the world, we need to have something that will distinguish us from others."

She put on a video that layered images that corresponded to her words. "As you may now, there are two particular characteristics of the island: it is completely flat and it is in a shape of a perfect circle. My idea is to build on that notion and populate the island with buildings in the forms of spheres, thus giving the project the name "oRb." The spheres will be different in diameter and location; some of them will also be raised on platforms, creating an illusion of being frozen in motion for some and an illusion of sitting on a plate for others. The details for all but one building have to be worked out."

She switched to a walk-through video of a spherical building. "This is a prototype of a boutique hotel. It is one of the medium-sized buildings and will house 35 rooms. Since the only way to get to the island is by boat from the nearby bigger island, I do not plan to have any vehicles on site. Instead, I was entertaining the idea of putting escalators and running paths, similar to those you find at the airports. This will ease access for staff as well as the guests, without adding additional noise and pollution. The island can be walked from side to side in an hour as it is."

She returned the wall to its original darkness. "Thoughts?"

There was silence that seemed to last forever. She did not know if it was a good or a bad sign.

"You thought about all of this in two months?" Kaito's voice finally broke the silence.

"No, I have been thinking about this for a while." She did not even dare to tell them that she actually had it all laid out and only needed the professionals to put in the finishing details, such as taking care of the structural issues, making sure that she did not overlook something, etc.

"Then why have you been sitting on it?" Her father questioned.

"I guess I did not have enough incentive to invest myself fully into this until now."

"I like this idea, it reminds me of tRi on a larger, less angular scale." Ikeda, one of the former Kaioh Group board members stated.

"tRi was Haruka's idea, Ikeda-san," Haru voiced. "I like it. There is still a lot of detailing to do, but I think we should start on this as soon as possible. We lost enough time as it is, while you were waiting for your muse." He smirked at his sister, knowing full well that the muses's name was Michiru and she did not per se inspire the idea, rather Haruka trying to avoid Michiru made his sister work on this as much as she did.

That line of thought brought a suspicion to his mind. "Exactly how detailed is your plan at this point?"

"We can start building the prototype tomorrow. It has been studied and developed by the architects and engineers for the last month. They have all the specs. The rest have to be developed, which should not be as hard after the first one. Then it is just a matter of how long the construction will take."

They all looked at her like she suddenly grew another head. Her mother was shaking her head, also understanding where all of this commitment came from.

"So what is stopping you?" Haru finally forced out.

"I think it is just a little matter of this tradition we have within this company, where the board of directors and the CEO have to approve VP's projects." She smiled at him sarcastically.

"Like that would ever stop you."

**x x x**

The first thing she did when she walked back into her office was pick up the phone and order her contractor to break the ground. Then she dialed another number.

"_It is three o'clock at night."_

"That's what happens when you live in the past. It's four in the afternoon here. The project has been approved, we are breaking ground next week. I want you here by Christmas."

"_You are not the boss of me."_

"Yet you like this order and will be unable to decline. Sleep tight."

She disconnected and concentrated on putting all of her specialists in motion.

**x x x**

Michiru felt like the last week was a whirlwind. Ever since her mother told her that she found her an agent, Michiru was consumed by work. She did not do this to avoid Haruka, like she knew the older woman was avoiding her, but she genuinely enjoyed being involved with music to this degree. She was still primarily performing at benefits and charities, but she was also entertaining the idea of working on her first album. She used her performances to gauge the reaction of the public to the new music she composed and it seemed to be a perfect arrangement.

She looked at her manager who she was becoming fast familiar with. Her name was Mori Akane, she was a middle-aged woman, perhaps not much younger than her own mother. She was about Michiru's height, her hair was deep red and short, he eyes light brown and cate-like. She was good at what she did and did not mind telling you what she thought about your work to your face, while protecting your interests at any cost in the presence of a stranger. Michiru liked that about her. The last thing she would ever want to do is have an agent that blindly worshiped her because of her family name.

Tonight she was performing three songs at a concert benefiting earthquake victims. As always, there was a dinner to attend afterwards. She smiled at her manager before coming out on the stage and de-compressing, as she always did when she played. She saw her husband sitting in the front row with her sister. He made it a point to come to all of her concerts and she appreciated the gesture. Nothing eventful happened over the last month between the two of them; they were just getting used to living together and becoming friends. Once the wedding was over, Michiru found it easy to be friends with him. Haru and Haruka were truly alike and she was learning about both of them by getting to know Haru.

The other blonde, of course was still there, but she avoided Michiru. She spent most of her days at the office, working on something Michiru was not aware of. She left early enough not to accidentally bump into Michiru in the bathroom and often came home late enough to not have dinner with them. Despite all that, the connection was still there. Michiru could feel it every time they were in the same room, which was probably exactly why Haruka was avoiding her.

She finished her last song, thanked her audience and left the stage. Her act was last, so she lost her companions in the sea of rising people. Deciding not to waste her time, she packed her violin away and made her way to the banquet hall, where the dinner was held. She tried to find sight of Haru or Nanami, but that proved harder than she thought. So she grabbed a glass of wine and mingled around, until she stumbled on her husband with a blonde hanging off his arm and whispering something intimately in his ear.

She had no reason to be jealous, she did not have any feelings for Haru outside of friendship, but she was annoyed. He was her husband, after all, and they were in public. She walked up to the couple and stopped a few feet away.

"What a devoted relationship we have." She let out a snide remark.

Both blondes turned and looked at her. Before the smaller blonde had an opportunity to react, Michiru watched her husband disconnect himself from her, walk up to Michiru and half smile at her.

"Indeed you do."

She then felt him walk up to her side, turn her slightly with his left hand, put his right arm around her neck, with his arm touching her cheek and ending in a finger pointing in the direction of the opposite end of the room.

"You're looking for _him_."

Through the crowd she saw her husband and her sister talking in a group of people. Then she felt her heart race in rage. She was not sure if it was because of her inability to distinguish between the twins or because Haruka was there with another woman. It did not matter. She pulled out of the blonde's embrace and stormed off to the other side of the room without another word or a glance. She heard a small chuckle behind her, which only fueled her insides.

She reached her destination and scowled at her smiling husband, whose smile fell off.

"What's wrong?"

"Why is your sister dressed like you?"

He blinked from the annoyance in her voice and looked in the direction she came from.

"Maybe because she's on a date, I don't know."

"I thought she dressed in those ridiculous outfits when she went on a date."

"I never said that. I said she dressed that way to shock people's consciousness. We used to dress the same way and look the same when we dated in college, she always found it easier to attract women. Why are we talking about this again?" He was growing tired of talking about his sister all the time.

"Because I thought she was you." Michiru gave him a challenging look. "I assume you would not want me to mix you two up."

"I would assume you'd know the difference by now." He did not know why, but she was playing dangerously close with his temper.

"And what would that difference be?"

"I am your husband and she is your sister-in-law."

She did not know how to take that. She had a gut feeling that he was not referring to their gender difference, but rather something else. The thought was enough to cool her off and drop the subject. She shifted her attention to Nanami.

"How are you enjoying this evening?"

"Well, the entertainment seems to get better as the night progresses."

Michiru's annoyance came right back, Nanami being at its center at this point. Things only got worse when she noticed the blonde couple approaching them.

"Evening everyone." Haruka bowed slightly. "This is Hara Mizuki." She introduced the smaller blonde, without bothering to share who she was or why she was there.

Michiru squinted at the blonde beauty. She was more than a head shorter than Haruka, though her high heels helped to decrease that difference; her hair was platinum blonde and just reached her shoulders; her light blue eyes sparkled with mischief. She seemed very fine and fragile, though Michiru had a distinct feeling that she was not what she seemed.

"Ah, Hara-san, I have heard a lot about you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Haru bowed.

"The pleasure is all mine, Tenoh-san." She bowed in return, her smile as provocative as when she was whispering in Haruka's ear.

She just rubbed her the wrong way. Michiru was using everything she had in her to maintain composure.

"This is my wife, Kaioh Michiru," Haru offered since Michiru herself was not going to budge, "and her sister, Kaioh Nanami."

Mizuki bowed ever so slightly, Nanami returned the pleasantry, while Michiru just kept looking at the blonde.

"So, now that we all know each other…" Haruka wrapped her hand around the blonde's waist. "… we were wondering if you guys want to go out somewhere after this… it is rather boring."

"Classical music bores you, Haruka-chan?" Michiru teased.

Mizuki raised an eyebrow at the address, but remained quiet. She felt the brunette watching her closely and returned the favor, the other woman's look did not waiver. They stared at each other for a while until Mizuki gave Nanami a half smile and turned to watch her date's interaction with the aquanette.

"It is not the classical music that bores me, Michiru-chan, it is the absence of action that does."

"There is a lot of action from where I'm standing," Nanami volunteered.

"What did you have in mind?" Haru, who seemed to be the only adult present wondered.

"Burlesque show." Haruka grinned at him.

"Whoa." He looked at the women pointedly. "You think the company is appropriate?"

"Nanami-san, do you have a problem with a burlesque show?"

She shook her head.

"Mizuki-san?"

She got another shake.

"Well I think we are all set." Haruka smiled at him again.

"Forgetting someone?" Haru looked pointedly at his wife.

"Oh, she is just too pissed right now, she'll be fine anywhere where there is a drink."

"Excuse me?" Now Michiru _was_ pissed.

"I mean that with all the love, but we all know that to be the case… for one reason or another. You need to relax, apparently playing was not enough for you tonight."

Michiru did not know if she wanted to smack the blonde or just kill her right then and there. Besides, since when did Haruka know that Michiru relieved stress through her violin play? Still unsure what she wanted to do, she turned around and stomped off for the second time that night.

"I got it." Nanami was hot on her tracks.

**x x x**

She had to admit that she was enjoying the show. Why wouldn't she enjoy half-naked girls on a stage? She sipped on her quickly disappearing drink and relaxed into one of the couches of the VIP section that they occupied.

"Enjoying yourself?" She felt a weight of another body settle next to hers and looked up.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"I did not doubt that for a second." Haruka looked at he for a long moment before getting up at the first sign of Nanami and Mizuki approaching.

They came in laughing about something, which irritated Michiru yet again. How could Nanami laugh with that… doll.

"I'll trade you."

She looked up, not understanding what that meant until she saw Haruka extending her barely touched mojito. She accepted the drink she was starting to like and gave Haruka her empty glass instead.

"Anything for you from the bar, ladies?"

They gave her their orders and made themselves comfortable on another couch.

"That was awfully familiar." Nanami threw at Michiru.

"We have shared a lot more than a drink."

"Oh, how so?" Came from a relaxed Mizuki.

Michiru spotted Haru approaching them. "We are sharing a bathroom."

"Right," Mizuki replied with the same relaxed expression on her face.

Haru sat down next to Michiru and wrapped his hand around her shoulders. "Having fun?"

They nodded at him and watched Haruka make her way back, balancing four drinks.

"I did not realize they had jugglers here as well." Haru smirked at her.

"Be thankful for your drink coming to you or I can keep it."

"Touchy." He accepted his drink from her hands.

She gave Nanami and Mizuki theirs and sat down on the armrest of the couch the two women were occupying, next to Mizuki. She looked at Michiru's drink and noticed that it was half-empty.

"Trade again? Because I really don't feel like running through the crowd for the second time."

"Nobody asked you the first time. Besides, worry about yourself," she snapped back.

"I'm driving." She passed her drink down and got her old one back in return.

"You can always go back with us in the limo." Haru pointed out.

"I need to drop off Mizuki-san… and I believe she much prefers my Veyron to your limo."

"That she does," the smaller blonde replied from the couch in her annoyingly (to Michiru's ears) seductive voice.

They watched as the dancer for the next act came on stage.

"Something like that would look a lot better on you than your brother's suit, Haruka-san." Mizuki pointed to one of the costumes and then left the hand she used to point on Haruka's knee.

Both Haru and Michiru almost spit their drinks out, though for different reasons. Neither of them saw Haruka gulp down at the woman's actions.

"Maybe we can go shopping together then, Mizuki-san." Haruka finally turned to face the smaller woman with a slight smile that did not reach her eyes.

"With you, any time." She eased in closer, her bluff blatant on her face that only Haruka saw.

Michiru, who had an amount of drinks she herself could not count at this point and who was jealous beyond herself, did the only thing that came to her drunken mind: she pulled Haru and kissed him hard on the lips. Haru certainly did not see that coming, but recovered fast and returned the favor. She would be truly surprised by the fact that she enjoyed the kiss if she was sober, but, since she was not, she simply kept enjoying it. When they finally parted for air, she realized that both blondes were gone.


	16. Merry Christmas

Disclaimer: The title was inspired by "It's All About Us" song by t.A.T.u., but this story has nothing to do with it.

I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Merry Christmas**

"I don't care that it will cost more to get it there on Monday, get it there on Monday!"

"Listen, we talked about chartering that freight vessel for over two weeks now. If you cannot keep up with the schedule before we even start, I will find someone who can." She listened to the reply and smashed her phone down without saying goodbye.

"I am surrounded by morons." She looked at the other end of her office. "With few exceptions."

Her office, just like those of the other executives of the Kaioh-Tenoh Corp where located in the corners of the tower, at the second lever to the top. All four offices where L-shaped, allowing for a separation of the desk area and the area where the office owners received visitors, the door opening towards the desk area. The remainder of the floor was occupied by the boardroom and a number of smaller conference rooms, with secretaries having their own semi private spaces adjoined to the particular executive office they served. Currently, Haruka occupied the South office, Haru occupied the North, Riku and Nariko shared the East when they were in, and Kaito and Miho similarly shared the West.

She walked around her desk, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"What?" She turned towards the door that opened slowly and revealed her sister-in-law.

"Good Morning." She said, closing the door.

In the next instant Haruka found small violinist hands wrapped around her neck and a tongue asking permission to enter her mouth, which she did out of pure surprise. She felt a wave of desire shoot through her as the kiss deepened and fought not to embrace the smaller woman… or have her right then and there. She put her hands on Michiru's forearms and tried to push her away.

"M-m-michiru, what are you doing?" She finally succeeded.

"Oh, I found a perfect way to tell you two apart." She smiled evilly. "By the way you kiss."

Haruka looked at her wide-eyed. 'Is she serious? Damn woman.'

"And why the hell would you need to tell us apart? This is my office. I am wearing my suit…" She narrowed her eyes. "What game are you playing?"

"I am not playing any ga -" She turned around and noticed Mizuki sitting at the other end of the office.

"What is she doing here?" Her voice almost rose to the level of Haruka's just minutes ago.

"I asked you that first, Michiru."

She looked at the dark green eyes, too dark for her liking. "I came here to invite you for lunch. What is your new girlfriend doing here?"

"Apparently enjoying the show." Came an amused voice from the other end of the room. "When you said it would be fun, Haruka-san, I never expected it to be this fun." She smiled charmingly.

"I am already having lunch with Mizuki-san." Haruka looked from one woman to the other and decided to pay Michiru back. "But you are more than welcome to join us." She smiled fully.

"No thank you, I have seen enough yesterday." Michiru turned around and walked to the door.

"Actually, Michiru, that is incorrect. You were the one who provided the show. We were the ones who have seen enough." Haruka replied seriously. If Michiru was not as flustered as she was, she would have noticed the pain in blonde's voice.

**x x x  
**

"Why are you in the shower? Why are you at home?" Michiru squealed from the door.

"Because we are having a dinner and I want to smell nice." Haruka kept covering herself with soap as though she was talking to herself.

"Ugh… I need to remove my makeup. Can you hurry up?" Michiru closed the door and walked to the two hanging towels, grabbing the white fluffy one.

"Never stopped you before."

That was certainly true. They have been sharing the bathroom since the second day Michiru moved into the house and it has never stopped either of them from using it at the same time. As a matter of fact, it even became expected, almost natural, to be there at the same time and barely notice each other.

"Well, maybe I just don't feel like being in your company."

"Too bad you will have to suffer through that dinner then."

"I suffer through that every time you make it home for dinner."

"We will have a guest today. I want you to be nice to her." She shut off the water and stepped out of the enclosure, extending her hand for the towel Michiru was holding.

"Thanks, honey." She gave her a sarcastic smile before wrapping herself in the towel, water still dripping down.

Michiru furrowed her brows. They rarely had dinners together anymore and she could not remember anyone ever joining the three of them.

"Who is coming for dinner?"

"Mizuki." She walked into her bedroom, only to be followed by the aquanette.

"I thought you did not bring women to your beach house."

"I thought we established that your bedroom and closet are on the other side." She walked to her open closet and looked at the shelves in assessment. "Besides, you are living at the beach house, so I guess that rule was broken."

"I'm not a one-night-stand."

Haruka turned to face Michiru after hearing that. She looked at her seriously for a long moment.

"Depends on who you are referring to." She turned back to the shelves. "Besides, she is not a one-night-stand either."

She heard that door slam closed as Michiru flew out of her bedroom.

**x x x  
**

"Nice, is that an Aston Martin?"

"Ah ha. db9. She's the 007 girl." Haruka smiled to her brother.

"What are you two doing?" Michiru came up to them and stood between the two, looking out of the window as well.

"Enjoying the view."

Michiru saw Mizuki, dressed in a black business dress and a matching coat get out of a charcoal gray car in the driveway of the beach house.

"Aren't you going to go greet her?"

"Nah, I'll let her use the bell. Haven't heard it chime in a while." Haruka turned around to face the aquanette and her brother.

"So what do you think about her?" Haru asked.

"I like her. She's well worth the money."

"I'm sorry are you paying her?" Michiru, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion, asked.

"Of course I am. What do you think, someone like her will work for free?" Haruka brought he own brows together.

"Ruka-chan, I think you two are talking about different things." Haru quickly put in, looking from one woman to the other, as the doorbell rang.

"Why would you pay to have a girlfriend?" Michiru asked almost at the same time.

Haruka laughed good-naturedly on her way to the door.

"I never said she was my girlfriend, Michiru-chan, you assumed that." She looked at her as she reached the door. "She is an attorney I hired for the project."

She smiled at the stunned aquanette before finally pulling the door open. "Mizuki-san, thanks for coming."

"No problem." Came the now familiar low voice. The blonde beauty walked through the door and took her stiletto heels off.

"Tenoh-san, Kaioh-san." She bowed to both of them.

Michiru, her mouth still agape from the revelation, bowed back. "Please, come in."

Mizuki did, taking off her coat and taking in the view. "It's a beautiful house."

The twins thanked her in unison, while showing their way to the table.

"Wine?" Haru asked as the rest sat down. He was standing by the outer counter of the kitchen, four glasses in front of him, an open bottle of red wine in his hand.

"Sure, thanks." Mizuki smiled at him her usual smile, which Michiru, now knowing that this was Haruka's employee and not date, had to admit was not as seductive as it was charming.

"So, where do we stand with the vessel?" Haruka quizzed as she received a wine glass from her brother.

"Wow, aren't you going to let her breathe?" Haru protested, taking a seat.

"Nope. I did that last night."

"That is true. Besides, Tenoh-san, this is what I get paid the big bucks for." She smiled at him and turned back to her employer. "If they are unable to charter it by tomorrow, we can buy it."

"You want to buy a freight ship?"

"Costs a lot less than my car… so why not? If it helps avoid future hold-ups and additional costs. We may retrofit it and use it for something else later."

"Can you even dock it to the island?"

"I'm sure there are ways."

Haru shook his head. "I will not be surprised if it is all completed in months, at the speed you are going."

"Wouldn't that be a nice Christmas present? Although, unfortunately, even I can only force it to a point. I am hoping to be done with the bulk of it by summer, though. It would make for a great opening."

"Your ambition is truly infinite."

"As is yours."

They both smiled at each other.

"I hate to break this loving scene, but we are still here." Michiru put in, their food still untouched.

"Right, sorry, honey." Haru smiled apologetically. "Please, don't mind us." He gestured towards the food.

They had their Italian style dinner. Haruka and Mizuki discussed business, while Haru told Michiru about the oRb project. Mizuki left shortly after, leaving the odd family unit to themselves. Haru volunteered to put the dishes away, while Michiru and Haruka sat by the fire.

"So you two are not dating?" She asked softly.

Haruka just shook her head. She was tired and really did not feel like either joking or being sarcastic anymore. She just wanted peace. "Why would it matter anyway, Michiru?"

Michiru looked at her thoughtfully. "I don't know, it just does."

"You can't have us both." There was a trace of sadness in her voice.

"I know." She sighed and stared at the fire. "Although right now it feels like I do."

"No. Right now you have neither."

She looked at the green eyes, bathing in their warmth despite the cold words. She knew it was true, she just did not know what she could do about it. She enjoyed the closeness with Haruka. She liked their bathroom incidents, but the blonde was right, there was nothing between them. Nor was there anything between her and her husband. Nothing beyond that kiss they shared last night.

"You guys look sleepy." Haru joined them.

"Yeah, I think I will go to bed before dosing off here." Michiru stood up and wished them a good night.

Haru took her place and looked at his sister. "It's been a while since we just sat like that by ourselves." He smiled, reminiscing.

"Yes." She did the same. "Peaceful, isn't it?"

He nodded. They chatted just like they used to, with the exception of avoiding one subject: the woman that was peacefully sleeping upstairs. They did not want to bring it up, did not want to ruin the moment of communication they have not had in a while. Once they started to whine down, Haruka decided to break that unwritten rule.

"Do you want to give Michiru something personal for Christmas or do you want to do the usual?"

It was usual for the twins to give one gift from both of them, but Haruka was not sure if marriage changed that as well.

"Christmas is still almost two months away…" He looked at her suspiciously. She rarely cared for getting gifts well in advance, unless there was a reason. "Did you have something special in mind?"

"I did."

**x x x  
**

_December 25, Tokyo_

The almost two months flew by as fast as a day and a half. They woke up to the first cover of snow on the beach - a perfect Christmas present. The snow was still falling in large flakes, which excited Michiru, who was awake first, like it would a little child.

She ran through the bathroom, still wearing her flannel pajamas, barged into the semi-dark room and found the curtain opening, pulling the heavy drapes aside.

"It is snowing, Haruka!"

"It is also six o'clock in the morning on my day off, one of the only ones I have lately." The grumpy voice answered her from underneath the covers.

"W-w-what are you doing?" Haruka looked at Michiru that was standing next to her bed, hands on her hips.

"I used to jump in bed with my sister when I woke up in the morning and was excited. We would talk for hours."

"I am not your sister. You cannot jump in bed with me."

"I know you are not my sister." She grew serious for just a second, a devilish smile replacing her seriousness soon enough. "But I can still jump in bed with you!"

With that she literally did… start jumping on Haruka's bed.

"Are you five?"

She did not get any response. So she moved closer to the edge of the bed to avoid the danger of collision and reached for her cellphone.

"_Ruka, it's six in the morning. Why are you calling me from the other end of the house?" _A grumpy voice that matched her own answered. _"What is that noise?"_

"I know what time it is. Come in here and contain your energizer bunny wife. She reminds me of her sister."

The door opened slowly. "What are you ta -"

His eyes grew wide at the sight of Michiru jumping on the bed, a childlike smile on her face, while Haruka dropped the phone and dug herself deeper under the blankets.

"Come on, Haru-chan, join me, this is so fun! It's snowing outside, and it's Christmas!"

"Oh my God! You are an energizer bunny!" He groaned and got to the bed on Haruka's side."Move over, it's freezing."

"You have two other rooms to warm up in… or jump in, so why do you all need to come here?" She extended him a peace of her blanket nonetheless.

"You have the better view."

"You have the better show."

She exhaled loudly and puled the blanket down from her face, settling comfortably on her back. "Fine, but can you stop shaking my bed? You mentioned something about talking to your sister, not jumping on her bed."

Michiru jumped for the last time and settled on her knees. "Ok, we can talk. What do you guys want to talk about?"

"You are the one who woke us up - you tell us…" He yawned. "...and get under the blanket, I don't want you to catch a cold." Haru's still grumpy voice scolded her from the other side of the bed.

"Fine!" She got under the blankets, Haruka now being in the middle of the two, and looked at the ceiling. "Let's talk about Christmas!"

They talked about the way they used to celebrate Christmas with their parents. The little customs, the nice memories, celebrations in different countries, different climates, agreeing in the end that a snowy Christmas was the best, while watching the snow flakes fall behind the pane of the glass. Their little chit-chat and all the reminiscing they did finally lulled them back into sleep.

They woke up hours later, Haru sleeping on his back, just like Haruka, and Michiru snuggled against the latter blonde, just like she always did.

_Great. This is just great!_ Haruka tore her eyes away from the aquamarine head and looked to her right. Haru was looking back at her with one eye.

"Is it time for coffee yet?"

She nodded as he got out of bed.

"I'll see you downstairs shortly. Maybe I'll turn up the heat. Why is it so cold?" He walked out of the door.

Haruka sighed and looked at the smaller woman again. She was so serene, so beautiful. Her flannel pajamas felt very nice against Haruka's exposed legs too. _She_ felt very nice against Haruka.

"It's still snowing."

The blue sleepy eyes opened and stared at the green ones. Then she finally turned her head, without moving her body, and looked at the snowflakes.

"Yes, it is."

Haruka heard a smile in her voice. She pushed the reason aside and kissed the exposed side of the neck tenderly. "Merry Christmas, Michiru."

The smaller woman turned, surprised at the kiss, but savoring it even more because of it. "Merry Christmas, Haruka."

Before she did anything else or allowed the aquanette to do anything else, Haruka jumped out of bed. "First bids on the shower."

Michiru just pulled the blankets tighter over herself. "Did you have to break the spirit?"

**x x x  
**

They got out of the front door and looked at the driveway, or at least the general area where the driveway was supposed to be.

"How are we going to get out in this snow?"

"That is why we have non-Ruka cars in the garage."

They walked to the garage and stopped in front of the Cayenne.

"Do you want to drive or should I?"

"Only if you keep it down to a reasonable speed for the snow."

"Hey, I want to make it to the Christmas dinner, I'm not an idiot. Besides, I always drive careful, just fast." She smiled at him.

"All right, all right. I will enjoy the vastness of the back seat… that also allows the best protection in case of a crash." He barely avoided her slapping him on the shoulder.

"I think I will join you in the back seat," Michiru said quietly.

"Traitor."

She did not reply. She did not want Haruka to know that she was not concerned about her driving, but rather that she felt bad about falling asleep this morning the way she did. She knew perfectly well that Haru was there and she did not want to ruin anybody's Christmas, so she decided to compensate.

"Smart move." Haru smiled at her, this time getting that slap on the shoulder.

They drove to the Kaioh Mansion, where the celebration was to be held. Not surprisingly, they got there fast and without any problems, though they arrived last.

The living room had a large Christmas tree in the middle, gifts of all shapes, colors and sizes underneath. The wood fireplace was emitting tiny crackling noises, soothing the occupants by its warmth and quiet lullaby.

Nanami flew in to greet them and broke the spell of serenity. "I missed you guys! Merry Christmas!"

"How do they always manage to break a moment of peace and not be bothered by it in the slightest?" Haru whispered to Haruka.

"I really don't know," she slowly whispered back. "If she is hyped up like this right now, can you imagine what she will be like when she gets her gift?"

"Stop it, Ruka-chan, you are scaring me."

They both smiled their greetings as the brunette finally shifted her attention to them.

"Everyone is in the dining room. Mom let the staff go after they made dinner, so it's just a matter of putting it all into place. Come on, don't be shy."

She pulled them towards the dining room.

**x x x**

They were lounging on the sectional couch that was scattered throughout the living room to allow the Christmas tree to take its majestic place. Wrapping paper, the remnants of bows and strings, and their unraveled gifts surrounded them in a chaotic fashion. The exchange of gifts was almost over, only one package sitting under the tree, although, Michiru and Nanami both had yet to receive gifts from the twins.

Kaito, who volunteered for the role of Santa, i.e. picking the gifts from underneath the tree and delivering them in accordance with name tag instructions, picked up the last one and located his daughter, sitting on the plush rug with her back to one of the sections of the couch, where her younger sister was lounging.

"For you, my dear, from the twins." He smiled and put the rather heavy package on her lap.

She looked at their excited faces before carefully unwrapping it.

"Whose idea was it?" She was curious.

"Does it matter? It's from both of us. Will you just tear it apart?" Haruka was impatient, like a child.

Michiru did not even glance at her as she continued her careful unwrapping until her eyes fell on a black case that she unmistakably recognized as that of a violin. She noticed that her hands shook slightly as she popped the case open… and then she just stared.

"Is that a Stradivarius?" Nanami sat up and looked down on Michiru's gift.

Haru nodded, toothy smile on his face.

"I thought none of them were available for sale," Miho mused from her section of the couch.

"They appear on the auctions here and there," Haruka answered quickly.

"Rarely." Nanami looked up at the twins. "And this is not just any Stradivarius." She pointed at the back of the violin Michiru was holding in her hands, mesmerized. "This is the Delfino."

"Suits the new owner, don't you think?" Haruka asked challengingly, while still smiling.

"I never said it didn't, I was just wondering how you got it. Some things even money can't buy."

"But money and connections can," Haru replied simply. "What do you think, Michiru-chan?"

Michiru was still staring at her new instrument. She was not sure if she wanted to hug it or put it as far away from herself as she could to make sure that she did not damage it. She felt tears come down her cheeks. This was so… amazing… so... thoughtful. She no longer cared whose idea it was, though she did associate a dolphin with Haruka somewhere in the back of her mind. She was just touched. She has never gotten anything better in her life.

She finally looked up at them and smiled from the bottom of her heart. "I love it." She put it carefully back in the case and walked up to the two blondes sitting next to each other. She hugged both of them at the same time. "Thank you. Both of you."

"I hate to break this very touching scene, but where is my gift?" Nanami was walking around the tree, looking for another package.

"God, you are impatient," Haruka forced out as she separated herself from the aquanette for the second time that day.

"Ruka was in charge of that one, so it's between you and her," Haru said as he allowed Michiru to settle next to him in a half-embrace.

"Well?" Nanami stood over the blonde with her hands crossed on her chest.

"I had to have special delivery for yours, Nanami-san. They wouldn't simply ship it. Let me check if it's here." Haruka smirked at her and walked in the direction of the front door.

The rest of them looked at each other, only Haru smirking knowingly back at them. After another few minutes of waiting and Nanami almost running out patience, they saw Haruka walk back, a tall man with a bow around his neck trolling after her.

"SORA!"

She ran past the blonde, almost knocking her off her feet, and flung herself against the tall man. Their lips met hungrily, as though they have not seen each other in years, not in three months. They have forgotten about everything and everyone but themselves and the kiss they shared.

"I hate to break this very touching scene, but you are in public." Haru pointed out from the couch.

"I second that." Haruka grinned, taking Nanami's former place.

They parted and Nanami turned red, realizing that her little showcase of emotion happened in front of her parents. "I'm sorry."

"What are you doing here?" Michiru asked, smiling.

"I'm a Christmas gift." He pointed to the bow on his neck.

"You look ridiculous."

"Tell that to your twin." He did not seem to mind.

"He looks ridiculous."

"He deserves it. It's a payback for being happy." She smiled at them again.

"I thought the payback was working for you." Sora raised an eyebrow at her.

"Explain yourself." Nanami walked to another empty spot on the sectional and set both of them down, unable to fully let go of Sora, in case he decided to disappear.

"I've accepted Haruka's offer to work on her project… and I guess Kaioh-san's offer of permanent employment." He looked sheepishly at the serious older people on the other side of the couch.

None of them knew of the arrangement. Kaito looked at his wife, non-business thoughts running through his mind. She smiled at him encouragingly.

"So are you moving to Japan?" He finally voiced.

"Already have." Sora smiled. "Most of my stuff is in storage because I wasn't sure where Haruka wanted me to be for the project, but I will find a permanent place once she figures it out."

"You know, you will have to stop calling her the way you do."

"Yes, Kaioh-san, I do." Kaito was still serious, which made Sora slightly uncomfortable.

The seriousness was finally replaced by a good-natured smile. "Welcome to the family."


	17. Love Comes Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

NOTE: This chapter is RATED **"M"** for sexual content and coarse language

* * *

**Chapter 16**

**Love Comes Again**

_"Deep within me  
Turn all the secret stones  
Voice of fields  
Breathing when love holds  
Still no word we can speak  
A path should been chosen  
But all trembling track  
She lead us back and here  
the guts are_

_Love comes again  
Just when I booked in none of her  
Love can come again  
You gotta believe that  
Love comes again  
Just when I booked in none of her  
Love can come again"_

**X X X  
**

"I hope this snow stops soon, otherwise I will not be able to make it to the meeting on time."

"Your meeting is in two days, Haru, I think that gives you plenty of time."

They both sat on the floor, their backs to the sectional, watching the snow fall outside. It has been snowing for over twenty-four hours now, transforming the world outside into a winter wonderland. Unfortunately for Haru, cars and planes were not allowed in the land of wonders.

"My meeting is across the ocean, Ruka-chan, it takes time to get there." He sighed.

"This is what you get for having a meeting between Christmas and New Year's. I think it is a stupid idea to fly to the US for one day in a first place."

"Wasn't my idea and I cannot call the CEO of one of our largest partners stupid."

"Sure you can. It's the truth." She smiled wickedly.

"Aren't I happy you are not the one going." He returned the smile nonetheless.

"So when were you intending to leave?" Sora questioned lazily from a piece of sectional opposite theirs, where he was lounging on his side, his right arm supporting his head.

"I was intending to leave this morning, but even our pilot will not fly in this weather, so I guess I will leave as soon as he is cleared to depart." He grimaced.

"Shouldn't you get some sleep then?"

"Nah, It's a long flight, I'll do it on the plane."

Their conversation died down for a few minutes, all three just enjoying the peacefulness of each other's company. That peace was not meant to last any more. Just like they always seemed to do, the Kaioh sisters blew into the living room like a gust of cold wind, chilling the warmth that the three friends have been sharing for hours.

"Why are you still up? You never went to bed?" Nanami quizzed as she spotted her boyfriend and jumped next to him.

"We're not up, we're actually down, and who needs bed?" Haruka smirked at her.

"You are so original." Michiru walked to an empty piece of sectional and climbed on it, bringing her legs up and hugging them close to her body. "So why didn't you go to bed?" Ignoring the childish blonde, Michiru addressed the question to the adult twin.

"We were catching up with Sora. It just felt nice to hang out like this, just like we used to in college."

"Yes, why aren't you following up with your old habits and jumping in your sister's bed in the morning?" Haruka asked the aquanette.

"How do you know about that?" Nanami was curious.

"Because she woke me up at six o'clock on a Christmas morning because you were not available."

"She jumped in bed with you?" Nanami was surprised by that fact that they were having this conversation in front of Haru, but curiosity won over her.

"No, she jumped on my bed until Haru-chan came in and made her stop."

"Don't tell me that the next thing the three of you did was talk until you fell comfortably asleep." Sora, sarcasm hiding his true concern, said. He correctly took the absence of response as an affirmation. "You know, that was okay when it was the two of you and me, but I think it is really different with the three of you. You guys really need to figure this shit out." His tone was even, but he was raging on the inside.

How could they be so blind? All three of them. It was obvious to him that both twins loved Michiru and he knew that that was an obvious problem, but instead of dealing with it, they avoided the issue and lived this odd life of pretense. Haru pretended not to see the closeness Haruka and Michiru shared, or he pretended not to care, even though Sora knew for sure that he did. He knew it hurt him every time, he could only imagine what sharing the same bed between the three of them felt like. Haruka pretended like she did not have any feelings, when she obviously loved the woman and instead of sitting down with her twin and laying it out in the open, she distanced herself from Michiru and acted as though the newlyweds really had a chance. Lastly, Michiru was pretending to the world that she was a happy wife, pretending to her husband that she may grow to love him, and pretending to Haruka like they were friends and nothing that happened between them mattered. It pissed him off.

"I don't remember you ever jumping on my bed, Sora." Haruka tried to laugh it off.

"I am referring to talking through the night and sharing the same beds and quarters, Haruka, and you know it." He was not in a laughing mood. "I'm not kidding, you are playing with fire and no matter which way you decide, someone will get hurt, the only question is how much, so take the pink glasses off and deal with reality." He was very close to not keeping his mouth shut at this point, until he felt Nanami squeeze his hand in warning and bit his tongue.

"We all know what you mean Sora, we are not children, we are adults capable of taking care of ourselves." Haru replied in a low voice. "We are fully aware of the reality and dealing with it to the best of our ability. Not everyone gets a fairytale love story where two people meet, fall in love, live apart, sacrifice some things to be closer together, and live happily ever after."

"None of us live a fucking fairy tale, Haru. I have suffered enough and so has your sister. You don't get to tell anyone in this room that they are living in a fairytale because the only one who does is you!"

"Enough!" Haruka yelled. "Your concern is appreciated, but not necessary." She gave him a small smile that did not reach her cold, warning eyes. It would be a pain to deal with a mourning Nanami, but she would take that any day over dealing with her own feelings.

"I think a change of subject is in order." She looked at every one of them evenly, until they agreed and semi-relaxed back into the new conversation.

**X X X**

Haru's meeting arrangement was unfortunate in many ways. It was supposed to take a full day, but he had to travel there and back, which virtually took two more. He was hoping to spend the last day of that year home. He was annoyed by the fact that this meeting ruined his intended week-long holiday vacation. He was also upset that his meeting fell on the day of Nanami's first gallery opening. He took a shower and got dressed for the long day ahead of him, wondering how the opening on the other end of the world was going.

**X X X**

The arrangement with the gallery providing space for Nanami's first exhibit was Kaito and Miho's Christmas gift to their daughter. It was one of the smaller ones the company managed, but it had plenty of space for Nanami's works and enough recognition for the size of the exhibit not to matter.

Uncharacteristically, Nanami was quiet and shy. She stood in the corner watching people arrive and meander, hoping that they would not notice her.

"I think you are supposed to mingle." Michiru smiled at her younger sister, extending her a glass of champagne.

"Not everyone can deal with crowds like you can." She accepted the glass and sipped from it.

"I have stage fright, I just concentrate on what I am there for, I concentrate on my violin and make everything else not matter. You should try that, this is about you, not about them, share with them what you were trying to express, find out what they see in it. It is so much fun to find different perspectives coming from different people. This is how you evolve."

"What if they don't like it?" she asked quietly.

"Did you do this for them or did you do this for yourself?"

"The latter."

Michiru nodded. "Then see how they take it and if someone doesn't like it, see why. We are all entitled to our own opinions, but sometimes it may be a misunderstanding. Some people are not able to get the message. Don't take it to heart, this is who you are, we love you for who you are, he …" She pointed to Sora that was socializing like Nanami was supposed to. "...loves you for who you are, the rest of them don't matter." Michiru smiled at her encouragingly.

"Thank you." She returned the smile, hugged Michiru and hesitantly moved into the crowd.

Michiru watched her go, taking the moment in and storing it in her pile of special memories. When Nanami disappeared, she turned around and looked for what was of interest to her: a certain blonde woman that should have been there by now.

Fifteen minutes later she located her and wondered if she has passed her before. Michiru was looking for the familiar suits and messy hair, not for a woman with hair that was styled in the front and spiked in the back, wearing a black long-sleeved tunic and black leggings that disappeared into yellow knee-high boots.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"You look different."

"This is my artistic look." She smiled radiantly at the aquanette. "I was bored."

She was. Haru was gone, Michiru was at the Kaioh Mansion, as was Sora, so she decided to kill time in her closet… and in front of the mirror.

"I see that. Too bad, I was going to ask you to be my date for tonight, but you are not dressed appropriately."

"Ha, last time we had a 'date' my boots were taller and I barely had any clothing on… is that what you prefer, Michiru?" She laughed.

"When appropriate, yes."

"When is it ever appropriate?" She raised a blonde brow at her.

Michiru dodged the question by weaving her hand through Haruka's and steering her towards the nearest canvas. "Why don't we just enjoy tonight for what it is?"

Haruka looked at the painting and decided to do just that, at least for now.

**X X X**

Michiru had been contemplating this for a long time now, more so after Sora's little speech, and she decided that she would finally do it. Tomorrow, when Haru returned, she would tell him the truth. She would tell him exactly how she felt about him and how she felt about his sister. She prayed that he would understand and… she did not know and "what," she just wanted it to be out. She did not want any more misunderstandings between them, she did not want to hide anymore.

After pacing in her room for a while, she decided to see what Haruka thought about that. She went through the bathroom and entered the blonde's room without knocking, like she always did. Haruka was standing by the glass wall, looking out to the ocean in deep thought. She was still wearing the outfit she wore to the opening and the sight caught Michiru's breath. She approached the blonde quietly and slid her hands around her waist. She felt the taller woman stiffen, but only stood up closer.

"What are you thinking about?" she whispered.

"Do you really want to know?"

She did, but being close to the blonde brought other thoughts to her mind, not the ones she was thinking back in her room either. She turned Haruka around and placed an asking kiss on her lips. Haruka took a minute to respond, but did so with a vengeance. Her warm lips parted and her tongue gained access to the depths of Michiru's mouth. Her hands slid to Michiru's hips, her fingers picking on the fabric of the long gown, bringing it up, as she moved towards the wall.

Michiru felt her back being pressed against the coolness of the concrete, while her hands were bathing in the warmth of a toned body. She missed touching that body, so she savored every inch of it. Haruka's lips shifted to the aquanette's neck, as her fingers finally reached the bottom of the silk hem. She let it fall over her hands as she squeezed the warmth of Michiru's hips. Her hands slid up the warm body, moving over the soft mounds, as a moan escaped Michiru's lips.

Haruka's hungry lips covered Michiru's for a long moment, before sliding down to the perked nipples that her fingers were teasing. She covered both of them, one at a time, caressing them with her warm mouth and teasing them gently with her teeth, while her hands moved to the insides of Michiru's thighs. Her thumbs pressed against the toned muscles of Michiru's inner thighs, sliding down, only to come back up to move the moist piece of fabric to the side. Her lips replaced the hardness of her thumbs as she moved all the way down.

Michiru's hands got lost in Haruka's hair, pulling on it as she felt the waves of pleasure wash over her. She grunted in disappointment as the soft warm lips left her and let go of the blonde hair.

Haruka pulled back up, kissing her way there through the silk of the dress, until she faced Michiru fully, looking in her almost black eyes, darkened by the desire.

"Is this what you want, Michiru?" she asked as she kissed the tender neck with her open mouth again. "Hmm?"

Michiru was not really in the mood to talk, but answered affirmatively nonetheless. In another instant she felt Haruka pull away and face her again.

"Sorry, I don't fuck my brother's women."

"And he does yours?" Haruka's icy words cooled her faster than a bucket of freezing water poured over her head ever could. They hurt even more than they chilled her down.

"Don't kid yourself. You are not mine. Never have been, never will be." She felt her cheek burning from the impact of Michiru's open palm, but did not move an inch.

"You disgust me." She turned around and for the fist time left through the hallway door, slamming it full force in her wake. Haruka stood in front of the wall for a long while until she raised her right hand and punched a slight indentation in the paint covering the concrete underneath. She grabbed the keys on her way to the door and did not notice that her hand was bleeding until she inserted them in the ignition.

**X X X**

Haruka sped through the streets of Tokyo, not caring about the speed limit or repercussions of being stopped. She found what she was looking for and pulled in the underground garage, parking quickly and slamming the door on her way out. She walked into the noisy bar and found an empty spot in the dark corner.

"Give me a shot of Grey Goose and keep them coming," she barked at the bartender who hurried up to fill her order.

She did it. She almost lost it because of the overwhelming desire she felt, but she did it. She made Michiru hate her. She saw no other way. They have been becoming closer and closer over the past months, both as friends and something more than that. Despite her spending as much time as she could at the office. As a matter of fact, it seemed to make it worse because every time they would see each other after not doing so for a while it was deeper, the feelings were stronger. She had been at the edge for a while and she did not know what to do. Until she decided to make Michiru hate her. She contemplated just talking to the younger woman, that was what she was thinking of just hours ago, but then Michiru walked in and she just had to kiss her. Haruka lost it and made a decision at the same time. Now she got what she wanted. Michiru hated her… and she hated herself for it.

She looked at a small pyramid of shot glasses she has built and reached for the next one. It was not her preferable drink, but it was the one that gave her least hangover the next day.

"I sure hope you did not drive here."

She ignored the person speaking and put the glass she just emptied at the top.

"Haruka-san, please give me your keys."

"You work for me, so I don't see where you find it in yourself to order me around."

"I work for you and I would still like to do so in the future, which is why I am asking for your keys."

She finally turned around and faced Mizuki. She looked at her for a long moment before turning to the bartender and handing him her black visa card. She got it back within seconds and turned back to the blonde.

"Well I'm not driving, I'm going up to the penthouse. You may escort me there if it will make you feel better."

"It will."

They walked out of the bar and made their way to the penthouse the twins occupied, Mizuki supporting Haruka, who was unable to walk straight. Haruka pulled out her keys and handed them to the smaller blonde, who took them without a word and opened the door. They stumbled into the living room.

"Which way is your bedroom, Haruka-san?"

Haruka gestured to her left and Mizuki virtually dragged her there. Once they entered the room, Haruka turned and spun her support around, placing her lips roughly on the unsuspecting blonde. She tasted so different from Michiru, but Haruka already hated herself, so what was the harm if she hated herself even more when the morning came?

Mizuki finally pulled away, pushing Haruka on the bed.

"I don't think you pay me nearly enough for this, Haruka-san," she stated evenly. She removed the blonde's shoes and reached for her coat.

"I will pay you as much as you want, come here." She obliged and let Mizuki take her coat off.

Mizuki pulled it off of her, removing the keys and the wallet from her pocket and taking a few steps back.

"Who do you take me for?" Her tone did not change, but her eyes grew much colder. "I'm not a whore. Just because you made one out of your sister-in-law, doesn't mean you will make one out of me. I will come to the office on Monday only because I respect you as a business woman, but don't you dare touch me ever again."

With that she turned around and left the bedroom, shutting the door.

**X X X**

Michiru was laying in her bed looking at the ceiling. Tears were running down the sides of her face, wetting her pillow. She did not care. She could not believe she was contemplating opening to Haru just a short time ago. She would have lost everything she had. Maybe her marriage was not what she wanted ideally, but at least she had someone who she knew cared for her. Much more so than the woman that just made her feel like dirt. No one who had feelings towards someone could hurt them that way. Not in Michiru's book.

A sob escaped her and she did not stop it. She knew she was in the house alone. At least she was not alone in life. She would try and make it better. She would try to meet him anew. As though there was no Haruka because Haruka she knew died for her when she said those hurtful words. That was a woman she did not know, not the woman she loved.

She sat up in bed and dried her tears with the palms of her hands. She walked up to her closet and pulled out her violin and some blank music sheets. She stood next to the window overlooking the uneasy ocean and poured her pain in her music.

**X X X**

"Fuck."

Apparently her plan for not having such a bad hangover did not work. Then she remembered why she had to get drunk in a first place.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

She got out of bed and stumbled to the kitchen, looking for a glass of water. She saw a note next to her keys and wallet and grabbed it with one hand as the other reached for a glass.

_Good Morning Haruka-san,_

_I left your keys and wallet here in hope that you will not find them in your drunken state. Although I am sure your head hurts so much that you cannot feel any other pain, I would check that hand of yours to make sure that it is not broken. At least disinfect it, it did not look like you had a chance to do so and I am not risking going back to the bedroom to do that for you. _

_Cheers,_

_Mizuki_

"Oh shit, what else did I do?"

She looked at her hand that was holding the letter and saw dried blood on all four of her knuckles, skin ripped in a fashion suggesting that the impact was strong enough to possibly break something. Surprisingly, she did not feel any pain.

She filled the glass, threw the letter in a trash can and located her cellphone.

"Are you back in town?"

"I need you to pick me up at the penthouse."

**X X X**

"What the hell happened to you?" Haru looked at his disheveled sister, her face almost grey in color, black circles under her eyes, her hand still red and now swollen.

"Me and the wall had a disagreement." She scowled. "Can you take me to the hospital, I don't think I'm in a state to drive my absurdly expensive car."

"Sure." He looked at her with concern. He has not seen her like that since… well since she slept with that girl she thought was amazing, but she was still in high spirits then compared to now. He had a gut feeling that this also had to do with a woman, he suspected he even knew which one, but decided to avoid the subject. God forbid her other fist decides to have a disagreement with his face.

He drove them both to the hospital, where her hand was properly disinfected, x-rayed and put in a cast. It was not a bad break, but good enough for her to have a cast on for the next few weeks. That fact seemed to only make her mood worse, which made her company unbearable even for Haru.

"Where do you want me to drive you?" He questioned as they got out of the hospital.

"Beach house, I need to pack."

"Where are you going?" He was surprised and worried at the same time.

"I'm going to personally oversee the oRb project. I'm taking Sora and Mizuki with me, not that they know that yet." She dropped down in the passenger seat. "Can you do me last favor and call our pilot? I don't want to piss him off and make him crash the plane to get back at me."

He looked at her for a long moment before pulling out his cellphone. "When do you want to leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning." She closed her eyes and leaned back into the seat.

* * *

AN: DJ Tiësto - "Love Comes Again" the lyrics in the beginning are from this song and do not belong to me.


	18. Escape Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Escape Me**

_"Take me to the bar  
Drink up to sorrow  
Sorrow for break up  
Borrow who you are  
_

_indecision is annoying not  
as annoying as  
your sharp tongue_

_pierce my lips  
don't shred me down to strips  
you're way to good at it  
you're way to good at it_

_Escape me  
Escape me  
bottles under tires  
forget about friends_

_Escape me  
Escape me  
Black out tendencies  
forget about the future"_

**X X X  
**

_April 15, oRb_

She finished another lap around the island. She was definitely missing her babies. She missed them so much that she considered breaking her own rule and bringing a car to the island, but then thought of the fact that they were not made to be driven off-road and decided that running would be her only substitute.

She reached the lobby and made her way to her suite. Her presence at the site put everyone into overdrive for the past months, making unimaginable progress. Haruka seemed to be on top of everything and everyone, a fact that made people hate her and respect her at the same time. She did not care about what they thought of her, she only cared about the result. And result she was getting. The prototype hotel was finished months ago, so she and everyone she employed personally have moved in for the time being.

The majority of the buildings that composed the core of the project were coming close to completion as well, so she was starting to think of an official opening date. There was a lot more to be built in the future, but she decided to do so in stages. In another month or two she would have two hotels: one housing 35 rooms, the other 75; a conference center; performance and exhibition spaces; three restaurants; five boutique stores; and a fitness center. The resort could be fully functional while the rest of her ideas were brought to life.

She took a shower and went to the conference room downstairs that served as her office since the building was finished. She had fifteen minutes of peace before Sora barged in.

"How is my favorite lady-boss doing this morning?" He slumped into one of the chairs.

"Just like every morning. Peachy." She did not bother to raise her eyes as the door opened again.

"Good Morning." Mizuki walked in, carrying her laptop in one hand and a tray of coffees in the other.

"You are a life savior." Sora grabbed a cup of coffee as though it was a lifeline.

"I figured you were too lazy to walk extra steps to the restaurant, and she…" Mizuki nodded at the blonde. "...is always too awake at this ungodly hour."

Haruka looked at the clock on her screen. "It's quarter to seven, which is by no means ungodly. The crews have been working for over an hour."

"The crews work since dawn because you make them, not because they choose to. You wake up because you choose to, no one makes you."

"Well what kind of a bitch would I be if I made them get up and then slept in?"

"The kind that would not care about what they thought. Since when _do _you care?" Sora asked as he sipped on his coffee.

"I don't." She finally looked at them for a moment. "You guys are feeling too comfortable in my presence for your own good."

"Well maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the fact that you made us come here, to a secluded island, where there is no entertainment, yet. So we must find ways to entertain ourselves. Thankfully, we have you." Mizuki pushed the cup closer to her boss and took hers.

"I'm not holding you here hostage. You go back and forth all the time." She finally pushed her laptop away and took the cup.

"Speaking of going back and forth, when will you come out of your self-inflicted banishment? You've been here for months. Do you even remember what Tokyo looks like?" Sora looked at her seriously. He partially blamed himself for her banishment because he knew she did something shortly after his outburst and he had a felling that it only made things worse, not better.

"Of course I remember what Tokyo looks like, I've been away from it for much longer than this. There is nothing there I miss," she lied.

"You know, Michiru-san's first official concert is this Friday." Sora finally gave in and broke his vow of not bringing the subject up.

She knew. She also knew that Michiru would play her Stradivarius. She also knew that Michiru hated her and did not want to ruin the violinist's first concert by being there.

"Why should it matter?"

"Why don't you come? I'm sure she would be happy if you were there."

_I'm not_, she thought sadly. "I don't think so. Subject closed." She leaned back in her chair and looked into the coffee residue. Sometimes she wished she could read her fate. Other times she didn't. Right now she wished the residue would provide the answers. It didn't. "I am going back to Tokyo tomorrow. You both are welcome to come."

They looked at her in surprise.

"The plane will be at the airport at 7AM, so we will have to leave here pretty early. I want to be back in the city by the time normal people start their workday… We have to start thinking about the opening. I have a few ideas I want to bounce off of you and then I have a few people to meet to see if they are interested."

"What did you have in mind?" Sora wondered, now fully awake.

"I'm thinking an outdoor, small VIP-style opening party. Only our best clients. We have a little over a hundred suites available. Definitely a good DJ or two, good finger food, open bar. The pool should be completed by then, so we can plan to include that too. Of course the beach is always just a few hundred feet away. I was also thinking of maybe mixing the music with a fashion show turning into dance show, so we could use the same models for two purposes."

"I like it. Who did you think of for DJs and fashion designers?" Mizuki, who would be responsible for all the contracts and other headaches, asked.

"I don't know about DJs - we should see which ones of the Ibiza residents are not booked at this point."

"I'll take care of that," Sora, already thinking about his US connections, offered.

She nodded. "I'm meeting Gato Yori tomorrow about the fashion show."

"Is that the proposition you mentioned to her way back when?"

"Yes."

"Wow, you had this all planned out by then?" Sora was truly impressed.

"Not all of this. Some things just happen to fall into place, other things I have wanted to do for a while. This happens to be one of them." She stood up.

"Sora, you are in charge of all the other little headaches about the party, Mizuki, you are in charge of keeping him within reason. I'm going to go see what progress was made in the past hour."

"Wait, when is the date?"

"June first."

**X X X**

_April 15, Tokyo, tRi_

She was admiring one of the abstract iron sculptures, her hand woven through her husband's elbow, a glass of champagne in the other.

"Here comes trouble," he whispered in her ear.

She looked at where he was pointing and saw an art critic walking in their direction.

"Kaioh-san, Tenoh-san, what a pleasure to find you here." He bowed to them.

"It can hardly be surprising, can it?" Michiru asked.

"Of course not, Kaioh-san. Your sister's art is simply exceptional. I have seen her paintings before, but never her sculpture work, it is… refreshing." He smiled at them and they both wondered if there was something he was getting at or something he wanted from them.

"Yes, it is. She's truly one of a kind."

"Well, it seems to run in the family. You are giving your first official concert this Friday, isn't that correct, Kaioh-san?"

"Yes, I am." She sipped on her champagne.

"I'm sure it will be as exceptional as this exhibit."

"Is there a point in all of this?" Haru gave up. The man was irritating him and ever since his twin deserted him and he was unable to channel his emotions through Haruka, he had to do it on his own, surprising a lot of people with "unexpected" or "uncharacteristic" behavior. Like being annoyed and telling it to someone's face. Like that was anything new. Not that they knew about it.

"I guess… my point is… that I appreciate the Kaioh talent, Tenoh-san," the critic mumbled. "I wish you both an enjoyable evening." He bowed and quickly retreated.

"You remind me of your sister lately."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked honestly. He didn't know what happened between the two, he never brought it up. All he knew was that Haruka packed while Michiru was out, spent the next night, New Year's night, at the penthouse and left for the island the following day. He has visited her on numerous occasions and talked to her almost daily, but Michiru and Haruka had no contact for the past four months. The only time he was able to convince Haruka to get off the island was to come to take her cast off. She visited their parents briefly and was off again.

"I'm not sure," she answered as honestly as he asked. She enjoyed his company. They have gotten very close in the past four months, but not close enough to share the bedroom. She was not averted to his touch or an occasional show of affection, but he never took it further than that and she was grateful.

Nanami broke their staring contest as she hid her phone in the pocket, her face lit up.

"Sora-chan is coming tomorrow. I'm so excited!"

"Yes, we can see that, honey." Michiru smiled at her.

The young artist chatted happily, alleviating their momentary tension. They spent the rest of the pleasant night wondering through the exhibit space of tRi, enjoying Nanami's works, intellectual conversations and champagne.

They got to the beach house shortly before midnight and headed straight upstairs. Once there, Michiru turned to go to her bedroom, when she felt Haru's hand reach for hers. He turned her around and pulled her into his embrace. His lips covered hers in a tender kiss.

"Stay with me tonight." His lips slid to her ear, along the jawline, and finally made their way to her neck.

He took her silence as an affirmation and moved slowly towards the master bedroom. Her jacket fell to the floor on the way to the large bed, a strap of her dress slid down to her shoulder. She felt his lips return to her own, his hands stroking her body lightly. She eased down in the bed, her husband's body covering her own. She felt its full weight on her, felt the hardening of his desire. Felt his lips make their way to her chest, his hips get even closer to hers.

"I can't."

He pulled away and she used the opportunity to escape from underneath him.

"I'm sorry… I just... can't."

She flung the door open and ran to the safety of her own bedroom.

**X X X**

"You have disappeared from the face of the earth lately."

"I wasn't aware you followed what I did, Gato-san."

They were enjoying their first round of coffees in Yori's studio. Haruka made it there as normal people made it to work, except that this place seemed to not operate on a normal schedule. She wasn't sure if the employees ever went home and if so, she didn't know if it was at night or during the day. There always seemed to be someone around.

"I don't, but you are missed from the party scene and all the social events we are holding."

"How touching." Haruka's eyes did not say so. "I have a proposition for you."

"I'm listening." The designer settled down and concentrated her full attention on Haruka, which was rare because she usually only graced her projects with her undivided attention, not the people around her.

"I have been working on a project away from Tokyo, we are developing a new secluded luxury resort. The grand opening will be in a month and a half and I would like you to take part in it."

"In what way?" Yori looked at her intently.

"I would like you to do a fashion show, your own, no other designers."

Yori was an up and coming designer and more and more people were seeking her participation in fashion shows, but she has never had her own. The idea was most definitely intriguing and a great opportunity to put herself to another level of recognition among Haruka's guests, who Yori had no doubt would be of the highest class.

"What's the catch?"

Haruka gave her a small smile. She liked people who were smart, honest and to the point. She did not like to waste her time. "The catch is that I want you to use visual performance artists instead of models."

Yori raised an eyebrow at that statement and thought about the possibilities. It was challenging, but definitely very interesting.

"And you want me to come up with a collection in a month and a half?"

"I didn't say that I want you to come up with a collection. I said that I want you to come up with a fashion show. I'm sure there are some designs you already have that you can throw in. I'm also sure that the images I show you will inspire some more. All you need to do is bring them to life and coordinate with the visual artists. Endo Sora will help you with that."

She looked at her for another long moment before giving her an honest smile. "Let's see those photos, Tenoh-san."

Haruka smiled back and pulled out a stack of photos. Yori's eyes widened as she looked at the odd combination of nature and form. She was mesmerized. Yes, coming up with new designs would not be an issue.

**X X X**

"How are you feeling?" Akane asked with concern.

"I feel good." Michiru smiled at her manager. "I mean there is the expected stage fright, but the idea that all those people came here to listen to me, not just because there are other people playing or because it is a charity event, but they came here to listen to me play, it's invigorating."

"I'm glad you feel that way. We will see how they react and then talk about that CD later, don't concern yourself with anything."

"I'm not." She peeked through the curtain again.

The opera hall was full. Her whole family, including her in-laws and Sora were sitting in the front row. Her friends were sitting next to them. The only person that was not there was Haruka. She didn't know if she wanted the woman to be there or not. On one hand she wanted her to be there to understand what Michiru had been through over the last four months, on the other, she realized that someone who called a piano a piece of pretty furniture could not understand her music, so what was the point? She hoped that her audience would understand her.

"It's time." Akane patted her on the shoulder and walked deeper into the backstage area. Michiru picked up her Dolphin and walked to the center of the stage. She was wearing a white silk gown that reached the floor, the color contrasting her hair and the violin. She barely had any makeup on and her hair fell freely to her shoulders. She wanted to be as natural as she could.

To her audience, she looked like a muse. She was standing in the middle of the stage, a soft spotlight illuminating her figure, creating an illusion that she was a glowing goddess slightly floating in the air. The goddess smiled at them and brought her instrument to her chin.

She closed her eyes and moved the bow, allowing the first sounds of her concert to capture the audience's attention. She suppressed the wave of excitement and concentrated on bringing out the feelings that she wanted to project. The feelings that she wished to touch many, but be fully understood by only one.

**X X X**

A tear ran down her cheek. She was looking at the lone figure on the stage, so beautiful, so fragile and so strong at the same time. She understood. She wished she didn't, she wished she didn't come here at the last moment, taking refuge in the shadows of the balcony, but she did. She expected wonderful music and she was not disappointed, but she did not expect this. The progression of emotions portrayed through each song.

Devastating blow of hurt.

Rage bordering on the brink of hate.

Desperation.

Dull pain.

Self-hatred.

Numbness.

Forgiveness.

Shy periods of peacefulness.

Yearning for something that was not there.

Disappointment.

Sadness.

Dejection followed by a light of hope.

It was enough for a full album. It was a cycle the young musician went through, the stages of her particular grief. Her feelings were there, in plain sight. The audience was fully captured and barely breathing, but none of them understood the feelings like Haruka did.

Another tear rolled down her cheek. She hated herself for what she did to the woman she loved. Even more at the beginning of the concert, when she literally felt all the pain she put her through. Somehow that same woman found it in herself to forgive Haruka. Somehow she still had a place in her heart for someone who spit right in it. It made Haruka feel even worse, until the very end. Until she realized that her banishment only made things worse, but Michiru still had hope. That light of hope planted a little seed in Haruka's heart. A seed of hope that one day she would be able to forgive herself and that one day Michiru may take her back.

**X X X**

Michiru's concert was a full blown success. She was intoxicated by her own performance and the reaction from her audience. She bowed for the umpteenth time and left the stage. Her family was already waiting for her backstage, excited embraces and congratulations surrounding her as soon as she stepped into their circle.

"How about a celebratory dinner?" Haru proposed after giving her a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the cheek.

She nodded in approval, unable to speak because of Nanami's suffocating embrace.

"Why don't you get your purse from the dressing room? We'll wait for you here," Kaito offered.

She put her violin in the case, putting it in her father's trustful hands, and left to grab her belongings. She flew into her small dressing room, only to stop in her tracks at the presence of a body leaning against the makeup table. The green eyes stared at the blue ones until the door shut behind Michiru and Haruka seemed to come out of her trance.

"Can we be friends?" She kept looking at the woman she loved and internally laughed at the absurdness of her own question, but they had to start over somewhere. When she did not get an answer right away, she panicked, thinking that she misinterpreted the music. "I am very sorry, Michiru, it was the only way I knew how to deal with everything at that moment, I never meant to hurt you so-"

She found a small finger against her lips, silencing her ramblings.

"Yes, we can try to be friends." Michiru looked at her for a long moment. It was not what she wanted, but it was better than nothing, or better than hating the woman, she knew that for sure.

She lowered her hand and took in the view of the blonde. She had not seen her in four long months. She looked… tan, but otherwise the same. She finally stepped closer and hugged the taller woman with all her might.

"I missed you, Haruka. Don't you ever run away from me again."

A deep sigh escaped Haruka as she embraced her new friend with the same amount of force. She wouldn't. No matter how bad it would be, she would not run away from her again. Never.

**X X X**

"Where is she? It doesn't take this long to get there and back," Nanami complained.

"Patience is truly not one of your virtues, is it?" Sora laughed at her.

"I'm starving." She childishly stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sorry about being late, I found a surprise in my dressing room." Michiru appeared from around the corner and caught their attention.

Haruka followed her out shortly, raised eyebrow from Sora and smiles from the rest of the waiting party greeting her unexpected appearance.

"You're back! It's so nice to have you finally here." Haru met her halfway and hugged her close.

"Haru, you saw me last week," she chuckled as she returned his embrace.

"It's different… you were there, now you are here. I missed you here," he said honestly.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I am intending to go back next week… We have the opening scheduled, I can't leave the project unattended now. The crews will have a big party and do nothing for the rest of the time there if I don't come back."

"We'll see what we can do to delay that now that you are here." Nariko smiled at her daughter, pulling her in a heartfelt embrace. "We all missed you sweetie."

Haruka returned the gesture and prepared herself for all the rest of them… she didn't realize they actually missed her, but it did feel good to be missed.

**X X X**

"So, how is the progress?" Kaito asked as he grabbed another piece of sushi.

"We should be done with this stage in a month and a half. The official opening will be on June 1st, so you all have been put on an advanced notice. I expect to see you there."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Riku smiled at her.

"I actually had a request for you, Haruka-chan." Kaito put his chopsticks down. "I understand that the current method of getting there is by boat." He waited for her nod. "I would like you to add a helipad to the list of things to be done before the opening."

She put down the sake she was raising to her lips and looked at him for a long moment. It was her idea of not bringing any transportation to the island other than the boat that was necessary, she wanted it to be as peaceful as possible. Cars and especially helicopters were contrary to that plan. At the same time, she caught the tone of Kaito's voice. It was polite, but it was not a request, it was a direct order. Haruka had never been ordered before. Despite the fact that she had never been the top officer of the corporation, she has always enjoyed the privilege of mutual understanding between her and her twin and her and her parents, at least when it came to business. This new twist was not appreciated by her in the slightest.

"Though there are certain advantages to having an ability to land a helicopter on the island, Kaito-san, I do not see them as enough to actually do so. No one would save much time by flying it there as opposed to taking a boat, but the noise and air pollution on the island will increase greatly."

He was looking straight at her, ignoring the presence of his family at the table, ignoring the fact that most of them were part of the corporation. Just like Haruka, when he wanted something done, he got it done; and this was still partially his dynasty, his company; so a child, of all people, no matter how close to his family and his heart, was not going to stand in his way.

"Haruka-chan, we have given you an opportunity to do exactly what you wanted with no restrictions and no objections. You have been playing God on that island for the past six months, transforming an untouched, unpopulated piece of nature into your futuresque depiction of modernity. I have asked you for one thing only and you will put aside your pride and do that one thing for me, won't you?" He never raised his voice and his eyes never left hers.

What he said was true and she knew it. They never did object to anything, whether it was Haru's doing or their own approach she didn't know and it didn't really matter. Kaito asked her for a relatively small thing on the scale of things, it's just that it was not only her pride, it was a part of the concept he wanted to change. She finally moved her eyes away from his and looked at the other shareholders present at the table. She didn't find support in any of them. She looked at her brother for a long moment, a silent conversation understood only by the two of them transpiring just like the old times. She understood his reasoning: the weight of Kaito's word and her freedom. He understood her hesitation, but the first outweighed the latter in his eyes. She sighed in defeat, put all her negative thoughts on the subject behind and looked back at Kaito.

"I will." She could swear she heard someone sigh in relief, but didn't know who it was.

"Good. I will have the specifications e-mailed to you tonight." He smiled at her and turned back to his sushi.

She, on the other hand, took that sake sitting in front of her and downed it, extending her glass for another shot.

**X X X**

"Ruka-chan, you shouldn't drive." Haru was standing in the garage, looking at his sister, who was sitting in the Veyron, caressing the steering wheel like a loving owner would her favorite pet.

"I have not driven a car in four months Haru, do you know what that feels like?"

"I'm sure for you it feels like an eternity, but it's your own fault. No one forced you to leave and not come back for all this time." He leaned against the Spider parked behind his back.

She tore her eyes away from the blue wheel and looked at him, the absence of any masks allowing him to see her pain. "Really, you really feel that no one forced me to go away? What would you have me do alternatively, keep suffering next door to the woman I care for, just like you do?"

He flinched from the brutal honesty of her words. "I never meant for you to suffer, I was thinking of her, not just you or myself. Sometimes you and I tend to forget that she has feelings too. I think that was clear at the concert today, don't you think? I didn't know how you felt Haruka, I can't read your mind when it comes to her, I can't know the feelings you don't share through speech or music. You haven't played since we got married, you haven't talked to me about how you feel since the announcement of the engagement. What would you have me do?"

"I don't know." She didn't. He gave her a choice, she chose him and now she was complaining that he wasn't understanding enough. In the end, it wasn't his fault, he tried. She tried too, she tried to be out of his way like she promised, but that didn't work either. She didn't know where they could go from here.

"I don't know, Haru. All I know is that we are both in love with her and we have let it go too far. I don't know how the hell we're going to get out of this mess. All I do know right now is that I need a ride, I need to clear my head from this, from work, from everything." She turned the key.

"Haruka, you were drinking, you should not drive." He went back to his original concern.

"Don't worry Haruko, I'm a big girl. I know what I'm doing." With that she closed the door shut and sped into the night.

**X X X**

Haru stood in the garage for a long time, desperately trying to find a way out and not seeing one. Sora was right, no matter what they did, someone would be hurt. Haruka had already been hurt. The fact that Michiru still occupied a bedroom on the other side of the house spoke volumes too, although it could mean many things. He was hurting too, but he imagined it was nothing compared to loosing Michiru altogether. Loosing Haruka, on the other hand, would hurt even more. His eyes stung from the tears that he didn't want to let free. He was so mad at his parents for putting them in this position, he was so mad at fate for making them fall for the same woman. He was so mad at himself for being unable to find a solution.

He finally left the garage and went inside to wait for his twin's return.

**X X X**

She was extremely upset that she could not go to the circuit at this time of the night. She wanted to drive faster than the wind… Under the circumstances she had to tame her spirit and just drive illegally fast on the empty highways, hoping that she would not lose her license.

The music was bouncing out of the speakers, the song completely in tune with what she was doing: escaping. She wasn't running away like she did months ago, she was escaping into her world, a place where only she, the wind and her thoughts existed.

She was pissed. Pissed was probably even too light of a description. The whole incident with Kaito was not over for her, he made her do something she was really against and she was not one to forgive easily. She dropped the subject for the rest of them, but here she could truly rage. The car understood her, it didn't seem to mind going faster.

Then, she was escaping her brother. The little conversation they shared did nothing to ease the situation, it probably only made it worse. She didn't know how to deal with it, so she just wanted to escape, if only for a while. It wasn't like she didn't think about it during the last few months, she did. A lot. But she still didn't find an answer.

She was also escaping Michiru. The welcome from the younger woman was unexpected and highly treasured, but being friends was not realistic in Haruka's mind. She stopped lying to herself at some point of her self-inflicted banishment and knew that not having Michiru in her life was impossible and being friends with Michiru would never be enough. There was only one little problem she did not know how to deal with: her brother's feelings for the aquanette. It was like a vicious circle that she was going through over and over and over again. There was no permanent escape from it, only temporary.

So she treasured every minute of this drive that allowed her to fully be herself, to not hide from anyone or anything, except, maybe from the police that would definitely suspend her license for speeding like she currently was. She grimaced at the thought and finally turned in the direction of the beach house. Maybe tomorrow she would be able to spend a whole day at the tracks. That would certainly improve her mental state.

She pulled in the garage and looked at the dark house. Locking the car and the garage door, she approached what used to be her lair and now became a place she avoided because of its occupant. It was sad and pathetic at the same time. This was still her house, her home. She opened the front door and took her shoes off. She was startled by a noise as she flipped the lights above the stairs on.

"Haru? Why are you sleeping on the couch?" She walked towards his half-raised form.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at her half-dazed. "I was waiting for you to come home. I wanted to make sure you were okay before I went to bed."

She looked at her watch and winced; the time didn't matter in Haruka's universe, so she didn't notice that she was gone for over four hours.

_I guess that explains why my tank is empty_, she noted mentally. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time." She helped him up. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

She kept her hand around his waist as they made their way upstairs. As they got to his door a thought that he may no longer be sleeping alone crossed her mind and she stopped, unsure what to do.

Haru, as dazed as he was, still sensed her hesitation and correctly assumed its source. "Don't worry, she still sleeps in the guest room."

That did make her feel better, as bad as that was considering her noble intentions. She pushed the door open and did not leave until she made sure that he was comfortably asleep again.

* * *

AN: The song Haruka was listening to in the car was Tiësto feat. CC Scheffield - "Escape me." Listen to it, you will get her mood perfectly. The name of the chapter comes from the same place, as do the lyrics in the beginning. As always, they do not belong to me.


	19. Bad Romance

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

NOTE: This chapter is RATED **"M"** for sexual content and coarse language.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**Bad Romance**

_"You know that I want you  
And you know that I need you  
I want a bad, your bad romance_

I want your loving  
And I want your revenge  
You and me could write a bad romance  
I want your loving  
All your love is revenge  
You and me could write a bad romance

I want your love  
And I want your revenge  
I want your love  
I don't wanna be friends"

**X X X**

She got used to waking up at 5:30 over the past few months, it became her routine. Wake up, go for a run, watch the progress made by the crews, take a shower, move to the conference room, be disturbed by Sora and Mizuki, move on through the rest of the day. Her internal clock was so attuned to that rhythm that she opened her eyes as the neon numbers switched to 5:30, despite the fact that she went to sleep only a few hours ago. Falling back asleep was not an option, so she took a minute to fully wake and looked at the familiar surroundings. Her eyes stopped at a spot on the wall where the indentation was still visible, even in the gloomy light of the early morning. She habitually flexed her right hand, like she did ever since her cast came off. She has never had any bones broken before and because of its timing and origin, the cast gained a symbolic value. To her, the hand that was encased in plaster was like her feelings that she encased within her soul.

She thought about that a lot during the first few weeks on the island and finally decided to have a truce at least with herself. She decided to stop lying to herself and accept things for what they were, feelings for what they were. Her acceptance coincided with the removal of the cast, she pretended that it was an occasion to literally let the emotions encased within her break free, at least within her own mind, if not within the realm of reality. She flexed her hand again and tamed her feelings about the incident, prevented herself from going through the bathroom and apologizing to the woman she hurt, asking for her forgiveness, again.

Instead, she got up and contemplated going to the tracks, only to dismiss the notion and settle for a run instead. She wanted to go for a drive, that was not a question, but she remembered her brother waiting for her in the wee hours of the morning, remembered her new so-called friend, and decided that they deserved some sense of normalcy in the morning, like sharing a breakfast. So she went for her run, took a shower, and went downstairs to start to make just that: a traditional Japanese breakfast.

Haru came down around eight, still not fully awake, but taking advantage of his twin finally being around. "Hmmm… smells soooo good."

He looked over her shoulder. "I think I will agree to your going away for a little while if you treat us to a breakfast like this every time you come back." He smiled genuinely at her.

"I see how it is, the first thing you do is exploit me." She returned the smile.

"Oh please, you would do exactly the same."

"I would." She turned him around and slightly pushed him towards the cupboards. "Go make yourself useful."

He obliged and started to set the table. Before he was done Michiru came to join them.

"Am I still dreaming or do I smell a traditional breakfast?" She skipped into the kitchen and took a sneak peak over Haruka's shoulder, just like Haru did.

_Well, if you're still dreaming, I hope you're not having the same nightmare I am,_ Haruka thought to herself while flipping the fish in the pan.

"You are not dreaming, which means you can help your husband set the table." Haruka gestured towards Haru with the spatula.

Michiru pouted, but helped nonetheless. Within minutes the breakfast was finally done and the table set. They sat down and enjoyed the meal in a way they have never done before: all three made an effort to enjoy it as nothing more than friends. On one hand it worked out perfect because they truly enjoyed this time spent together, on the other hand it was a joke because all three had to pretend that that was what they were: friends.

"Do you guys want to do something together?" Haruka asked as she finished her meal.

"Absolutely."

**X X X**

She made an effort. They both did. They hang out as friends when Haruka visited Tokyo, Michiru accompanied Haru to the island, where all three of them hang out together. On the surface it was as perfect as that breakfast. Underneath, it was anything but.

Haruka felt like lying to herself was easier than knowing the truth, yet trying to pretend that her newfound friendship with Michiru was everything she ever wanted. It hurt to be so close, yet so far away. It pained her to watch the married couple interact, see her twin's affection for his wife, see her accept the affection and return it, even if not to the same degree. She tried to convince herself that she was not the only one who made a bad choice. In the end, Michiru did marry Haru willingly, even if not by choice; she pretended to have a relationship with him, accepted his attachment. Maybe it was all Michiru's fault. She hid who she was from the world, she lived a life of pretense. Pretending to be straight, pretending to be a wife, pretending to have feelings for Haru, pretending to be friends with Haruka.

Yet Haruka knew that if Michiru didn't do those things all hell would break loose and, no matter how spirited the woman could be, she was raised to tame her spirit when it came to people that mattered the most: her family, her parents. She went along with this pretense for them and she was not going to make a move to break free from it because if she ever did, she would buckle under pressure. Haruka has never thought of the inner workings of the Kaioh family until her clash with Kaito. She knew that they were much more traditional than Tenohs, but she could only imagine what traditional values in conjunction with Kaito's controlling personality meant. For her in particular, it meant that Michiru would never willingly make a move against her parents' perceived wishes. Without any prospects of help from Michiru and already knowing Haru's position, Haruka still did not know how to get out of the vicious circle.

Haru felt like his brain was a hamster running inside a spinning wheel. It could not stop thinking of a solution for the situation they were in, but there was none. Every step he made towards some kind of a resolution, the path eventually led to where he started, just like that damn wheel. He knew his sister was in love with his wife. That knowledge in itself did nothing to help him out. Michiru possibly could, if she came and said what her true feelings were, but he knew she wouldn't and he couldn't bring himself to ask. It never crossed his mind to ask Haruka either, simply because he assumed that she wouldn't know his wife's preference. On the other hand, he had a nagging feeling that she would and that there was a lot more between the two than they led to see, he just didn't know where it was coming from.

Yes, he has seen the closeness, seen Haruka's desire as plain as daylight, but he gave her a choice. As a matter of fact, he gave her a choice after he knew for sure she had feelings for Michiru, witnessed the showcase of those feelings in person. He did not ask her to step aside, he did not know what he would do if she decided not to, but she was the one who decided otherwise. So what was he to do? It hurt to lose the relationship he used to have with his twin, it hurt to see her suffer, it hurt to feel a wall between himself and the woman he loved, it hurt to not know the answer. He wished for an intervention, for something to break his mind free from the wheel and find a solution. He wondered how long he would have to wait for one.

Michiru regretted going into Haruka's bedroom the night before New Year. She regretted it because that act stopped her from confronting her husband and laying it all out in front of him. She regretted it because she knew that she would never be able to do so now. At first it was the fear of losing him like she lost his sister, fear of being alone in life. Then she actually got to know him and realized that it was hard not to care. Even if he himself had nothing to offer, which was not the case, he was so much like his sister. How could she love one mirror image and not care for the other? She knew that there was a major difference, had learned that that difference would be enough for their relationship to never work, but what could she do? They have been married for eight months. She knew that telling him the truth would break his heart and she cared for him, no matter how much she wanted not to care, she didn't want to hurt him more than that. She knew that telling the truth to her parents or to the world would be devastating. She had no idea how her parents would react to her being gay, but she knew perfectly well how they would react to her breaking the marriage they had arranged after agreeing to it, making the whole world believe that it was working and then just pulling out. That was not traditional, that was unorthodox. They would never forgive her. She blamed herself for getting in this mess because she did agree to it, but she could not for the life of her hurt her husband and lose her parents for an uncertain chance of happiness with Haruka. The chance had to be quite more than uncertain.

**X X X**

"Have I ever told you that you are amazing at everything you put your mind to?" He walked up to her, wrapping his hand around her shoulders and looking through the glass like she did.

She sighed and put her head on his shoulder. "Not everything."

He didn't respond to that. He was enjoying the moment they have not had in a very long time. A moment of complete peace with just the two of them. What they observed outside contrasted the serenity they were sharing: people were scurrying around, trying to complete their tasks in preparation for the grand opening. The first guests were scheduled to arrive shortly on the boat, both sets of parents were expected to arrive any time by means of the helicopter. It has been used heavily by the former CEOs ever since the helipad was completed, they claimed that it made getting there and back easier and more pleasurable to all of them. Haruka's feelings on the subject did not change, but she never brought it up. She sighed as she spotted the black dot in the horizon, letting her know that her big family was about to reconvene.

"Do you want to have dinner together, just the two of us?" Haru asked as he spotted the helicopter as well.

"I would love to." She smiled at him. She enjoyed being with him like that today and during the past months, when Michiru wasn't around. She could pretend, if only for a little while, that nothing has happened, that everything was the same, that it was all about them. No one else mattered. It was a shame that they both had to pretend that that was the case. It was a shame that their bond had deformed so much that it was barely recognizable, yet the deformation was not enough to break it. It was a shame that one of them would have to forcibly break it in order for at least one of them to be happy again, to be complete, even if they were no longer happy or complete with each other.

**X X X**

_June 1, oRb_

"Welcome to the oRb. It is our pleasure to be able to hide you from the rest of the world with its mundane reality."

A few laughs and cheers escaped the crowd as she walked across the stage, lowering the microphone and nodding in response.

"I know we all can afford many things and this celebration is not really anything special or out of the ordinary, just like most of the other things we can afford, but I hope the fact that you will not find a ninety degree angle in a structure unless you crossed a body of water will tingle your senses."

More cheers.

"We tried something different with this place and we tried something different with the performance for you tonight, so I, on behalf of the Kaioh-Tenoh Corp, hope that you will enjoy the food, the show, the nature, the surroundings, and the company of your fellow islanders."

She smiled at them and bowed ever so slightly. Michiru was watching as the blonde on stage was joined by her mirror image. They looked like the royal rulers of this small universe addressing their subjects. Haru was wearing a black suit, his golden metallic shirt making it appear not as formal or usual as it should have been. He wasn't wearing a tie and the first three buttons at the top were left loose. He accepted the microphone from his sister. She was wearing a dress that was made of the same material as his shirt, except that it looked nothing like its counterpart. Like many outfits in Haruka's closet, it was meant to make a statement, except that in this case she was not the one who chose the outfit, Yori did. The dress wrapped around her shoulders, the excess fabric morphing into the rest of the shape that fit her form and did not cover much below her hips. The dress was short, the strap shoes' heels were high, yet instead of making her look cheap, it made her look unreachable and divinely sexual.

Michiru licked her dry lips and completely ignored whatever her handsome husband was saying. She could not tear her eyes away from the other blonde for the life of her.

"Here, you look like you need it." Nanami handed her a blue drink.

"She is going to drive me insane," Michiru whispered as she accepted the glass and took a large gulp.

"You are already insane," Nanami replied seriously. "Please be careful and don't forget that your husband, our parents and their parents are here."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Michiru finally gave her sister her full attention.

"I have seen that look before, Michiru. You have already undressed her with your eyes and are mentally having sex with her. Please don't do anything stupid," Nanami pleaded. She had a bad feeling, she didn't know where it came from, but she could swear something was going to happen and that feeling was nauseating her.

"You spend too much time with Sora, Nanami-chan, your wild imagination has been tainted by him." Michiru laughed it off.

"Suit yourself, just remember what I said." She turned around and left, but did not go too far, deciding to keep an eye on her object of worry just in case.

**X X X**

Twins finally made it off the stage and found her in the crowd. They watched the fashion show and the visual performance together, enjoying every moment of it. The music never stopped, only switching rhythm as the performance ended and becoming more dance-appropriate.

"I think I'm going to mingle," Haru tried to project over the bouncing sound.

"This is not a banquet, Haru, dance, have fun," Haruka replied pulling him closer towards were the guests had been taking advantage of the mood set for them by the DJs. Michiru followed them, leaving her empty glass on the way.

"Ruka-chan, there is absolutely no reason for you to pull me out - I can actually sit by the bar and enjoy conversations with people that may be important, as opposed to jumping around," he whined.

"You like dancing, stop being a child."

"I also like taking advantage of opportunities. This is a great one to get in touch with some of our guests and I will not waste it." He hugged her. "Have fun, be the party girl they think you are, I'll catch up with you later."

He let her go, hugged Michiru, placing a kiss on her cheek, and left the two in the middle of the dancing crowd. Haruka took in the view of the aquanette again as she followed her brother's advice and started to move in tune with the music. Michiru was wearing one of Haruka's outfits - a white dress that was meant to be form-fitting, but for the skirt, and fit her form much more tightly than it ever did Haruka's. She was also wearing one of the blonde's platformed Louboutins, the height difference between the two women preserved by their high heels. Somehow the knowledge that the smaller woman was wearing her clothes made Haruka oddly excited.

Beads of sweat covered their bodies as the expanding crowd forced them closer together and the never slowing pace of music forced them to go on. Neither one of them knew how long they have been dancing together. They have tried to avoid all contact from the start, but it eventually became impossible both because of the limited space and because of their mutual appreciation for the way the other looked that night. Michiru finally reached out and put her hand on Haruka's side, using her waist for support as she lowered herself down and came back up next to the blonde. The move provoked Haruka and she brought the younger woman closer, making her dance around Haruka's side. When the beat changed she turned the aquanette around and their hips connected in a slow circling motion, Haruka's hand supporting Michiru, who was pulling her hair up with both hands in attempt to feel a little cooler, but in fact accentuating her moves. The beat changed again, as did the song, but neither pulled away, both continuing to dance in the raw sexual fashion.

Haruka was intoxicated. She has not had a drop of alcohol that night, which only made things worse. She consciously understood that she was barely curbing her desire for the woman in her arms. The woman her brother almost literally handed to her. She pushed the thoughts of her brother away as the words of the song seeped through the wall of her concentration and caught her attention. She felt Michiru change up the moves as the intermission of the song came on and felt the desire shoot through her like lightening.

_Fuck this._

She leaned in and whispered in her dance partner's ear: "I want your love and I want your revenge, I want your love, I don't wanna be friends."

Michiru turned around and smiled at her playfully. "Are you singing to me, Haruka?"

To her surprise, she was met with a set of completely serious dark green eyes. "No, Michiru... I don't want to be friends." Her voice was husky and low.

She studied the green eyes for a long moment before replying with the same seriousness. "I don't want to be friends either, Haruka."

Haruka didn't need to hear anything else. She eliminated the space between them and kissed the woman she loved, the woman she didn't dare to touch for almost six months, the woman she was yearning for that entire time. She parted the soft lips with her tongue and explored the depths of Michiru's mouth once again. Her taste, her feel was so familiar, so precious, she did not dare to leave those lips for a moment, even as a first tear rolled down her cheek. She pushed all the thoughts that were the cause of her tears aside and decided that she was going to break away from the vicious circle. This was the only way to get out of it; what her decision brought in the future would happen in the future, not right now. She finally moved her lips away to allow both of them to breathe, took Michiru's hand and led her to the suite she had been occupying since its completion.

**X X X**

Nanami was watching Michiru the whole night, ruining her own in the process because she could not explain to Sora why she had to play a watchdog simply based on an uneasy feeling. Her effort paid off. She saw Haru leave the two women on the dance floor and wondered if he was stupid, delirious or simply did not care. Just like she thought it would happen, she saw them kiss, if that was the right word to describe the action. She also saw Haru finally make his way back in their direction. She flew off her stool and intercepted him before he could get a rude awakening and the guests could get another, unplanned, performance of the night.

Mizuki happened to see the public display of affection from another angle, one that allowed her to spot the four former CEOs at a table that could potentially have a clear view of the couple. Quickly deducing that her job and perhaps her boss' life were on the line, she made her way to the table and made sure that she captured their full attention, if only temporarily. To her relief, the couple was no longer there when she turned, pretending to gesture at the building behind her.

**X X X**

Haruka let Michiru in her suite. She has never walked this fast in her life, especially not in high heels. She was not trying to run away, she made her decision, decided to detonate the ticking bomb, and nothing was going to stop her. She was simply impatient. Her agonizing tears of betrayal have dried and her whole being was consumed by desire. She locked the door behind her and pulled the source of all her pain and the greatest satisfaction she had ever known to herself.

"Let's write our bad romance."

She didn't let Michiru answer as her lips crushed the younger woman's mouth. She devoured the depths of the mouth she loved over and over again, occasionally biting on a lush lower lip and fighting for dominance. She pushed Michiru into the wall and let her own hands travel the length of the body wrapped in white leather.

The feeling of the wall against her back, the hands spreading heat through her whole body, the lips brutally assaulting her own reminded Michiru of the last time she was in this situation. She pushed the crushing wave of lust down and pulled away, trying to look Haruka in the face.

"I though you didn't fuck your brother's women." She wasn't playful or sarcastic, she was completely serious. The last thing she wanted to do was throw away whatever chance of friendship they had just to be left broken again, like the last time.

Haruka glanced at her and put her forehead against the cool wall, closing her eyes. She didn't mean that she wanted Michiru's revenge literally, that was part of the song. She didn't want to think about yet another thing in her life she made a terrible mistake about. She felt Michiru stiffen from the lack of response, so she pulled back from the wall and looked her in the eyes.

"I don't." She saw the blues cool down. "I'm not intending to fuck you, Michiru, I'm intending to make love to you." She saw the temperature in those eyes increase, only to be lowered again by hesitation.

"Are you doing this because you have been partying and drinking and will you leave me in the morning, again?" she whispered, never breaking the eye contact.

Haruka sighed before whispering back. "I have not had a drop of alcohol all night. I will not leave you in the morning like I did last time. I've always left the women I fucked, I've never made love to a woman, Michiru. You are the one and only I ever wanted to do that to and I will." She moved in closer, their months and faces separated by mere millimeters. "Do you have any other questions?"

She did, but she didn't dare ask them right now. All she wanted right now was to be loved, made love to, because that has never happened before to her either. So she forced out an almost silent "No" and kissed the blonde woman tenderly. The kiss was a complete opposite to the hungry one they had shared mere minutes ago, but so much more meaningful. This time Haruka pulled away and smirked at the surprised Michiru, picking her up and carrying her to the bed.

Haruka laid her down gently, like she was a crystal figurine that could shred into million pieces from the touch of the silk sheets covering the bed. She sat down on the edge and brushed her hand on the porcelain cheek, tracing the shape of the warm body down to the neck, the vein pulsating steadily at its base, the soft mound accentuated by the tight white leather, the taut stomach, the edge of the navel, the length of the leg… and all the way back.

"You are so beautiful." She moved a strand of aqua hair away from the blue eyes and cupped a flushed cheek with her palm. "Like a goddess…" She traced the lower lip with her thumb. "...especially in a dress like this… but particularly with no dress at all."

Haruka lowered herself into another sensual kiss, her hands sliding to the hidden zippers she had no problem locating. Her mouth left the red lips and moved towards the corner where the cold rigid metal met the tepid smooth leather, her teeth tugging on it gently, pulling the top of the dress down. Michiru stopped breathing as she watched the blonde through her lashes and bathed in the sensation of her actions.

"You will ruin your dress," she finally breathed out in a very low whisper.

Haruka looked at her without stopping what she was doing and mumbled through her teeth: "Thher is mo erhe thha cam from." She pulled harder to further her point and removed the garment.

Michiru sat up abruptly. "Is there more where yours came from?" She looked at Haruka with dark mischievous eyes, putting her hands on the fabric wrapped around the toned shoulders and sliding them to the front, grabbing to the soft material.

"Who cares?" Haruka didn't move.

Michiru smiled wider before ripping the cloth she was holding in two pieces and ravaging the blonde's mouth in the same savage fashion. When they parted for breath Michiru noted with pleasure that, much like herself, Haruka was only wearing panties underneath.

Haruka followed her stare and quizzed huskily: "Are you going to tear those apart too?"

The midnight blues looked at the forest greens, getting even darker as she spoke. "No, I will use your method with those…" She dove down, pushing Haruka on her back and found the edge of the golden panties with her teeth. She paid back the blonde for the suffering the latter put her through while removing the dress. She made her way back to where the small golden piece of cloth once was, teasing the thighs and tender spots around the navel with butterfly kisses.

Haruka finally lost her patience along with all intentions of taking her time and driving Michiru insane before actually allowing her release. Apparently they were both playing the same game and it drove her crazy. She sat up, making Michiru move backwards until she was standing on her knees facing the blonde. Haruka slid her tongue from the belly button straight up to the dry mouth, slowing only for a second at the fast beating pulse, and then forcing her tongue inside the mouth, while ripping the white underwear away and sliding her fingers through the wet lips, allowing them to find the entrance and penetrate it, pulling in and out. The loud moan against her own mouth made her completely lose herself in the passion and the woman she held, until the waves of pure ecstasy washed over the smaller body.

Haruka didn't even have time to congratulate herself mentally on the accomplishment when all thoughts were removed from her mind by the sharp teeth biting down on her abs, right where she found a mark months ago. The sharpness of the teeth was replaced by the softness of the lips and back as Michiru moved around the tense body, finding every spot that made the blonde moan or groan, the latter seemed to happen a lot more as Haruka became frustrated with the torture. Michiru chuckled lightly before lowering herself down and giving the blonde what she wanted.

**X X X**

Haru spotted Sora walking up to join him and Nanami. The two of them had been sitting at a table, talking about random subjects Nanami brought up for what seemed to be forever. He welcomed his friend's intervention.

"Have you seen Ruka and Michiru?" he asked the tall man.

Nanami caught Sora's eyes as she responded quickly. "I spoke with Michiru right before I spotted you, she was heading back to the suite, something about a headache." She gave him a brilliant smile as he turned to face her.

"Okay." He hesitated for a second. "And Ruka?"

"We were having some drinks by the pool." Sora put in, catching on to the meaning in Nanami's look. "We separated when I went to find you, who knows where she is in this crowd. You miss her already or something?"

Haru laughed it off and dropped the subject, enjoying the rest of the night in the company of his friends.

* * *

AN: So, if you did not guess it yet, the song is "Bad Romance" by Lady GaGa. The mood is perfectly reflected by both the music and the lyrics… which, by the way, do not belong to me... (in case you didn't know) :)


	20. Revolver

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

NOTE: This chapter is RATED **"M"** for coarse language.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**Revolver**

"My love`s a revolver  
My sex is a killer  
Do you wanna die happy  
Do you wanna die happy"

**X X X**

They dozed off after the last guests have retired in the early hours of the morning. The blanket of silence finally fell on Haruka's suite and the island. It was past her wake up time, so opening her eyes habitually was not an issue, but she still woke up first, just a couple of hours after falling asleep. The morning came and she could no longer hide from it. The heavy feeling in her chest would not allow her to either sleep or deny anything any longer. It was time to answer for what she has done. First to herself, then… then she had to answer to her brother.

She flexed her right hand before grabbing a sheet Michiru was wrapped in and covering herself in it. She suddenly felt cold. Knowing that the temperature in her suite has not changed and that it was set to be comfortable, the coldness could only come from the inside. Fear was at the origin of the cold front. She was not afraid of her brother, she was afraid of the cumulative product her earlier actions would bring. She pressed the detonator, now she had to face the explosion and somehow hope to pick up the shreds of their lives afterwords.

She looked out the window and wondered again within the year if the weather had an insight into her emotions. It was quiet outside. The trees did not move, the sun did not penetrate the thick cover of the clouds. The picture she saw was eerie. A storm was coming. Both outside and in her life. She turned back to the ceiling as a tear ran down the side of her face, wetting the blonde strands at the temple. Just like last night she deeply regretted the betrayal; she just did not see any other way out. She had no idea where this will take them, she did not think about that last night, leaving it for the morning, but the morning was here, and she had no idea. It was nauseating.

"Are you regretting what we did?"

The whisper startled her. She turned her head and looked at Michiru, who was watching her cry silently. Did she regret it? She regretted many things, betraying her brother was definitely at the top of the list. Did she regret showing Michiru how she really felt? No, she did not regret that. She wanted to do that over and over, but could not. Not yet.

"I do not regret spending the whole night with you… I do not regret making love to you." She reached for Michiru's face and gave her a long but gentle kiss. She laid back down and looked at the concerned sapphire eyes. "I regret that you are my sister-in-law."

She cupped Michiru's cheek, wiping away the first tear that rolled down with her thumb. "I regret that I will have to tell him now." She raised her other hand to wipe the tears from the other cheek. "I wish I have told him before. I wish I didn't stab him in the back first."

She removed her hands from the smaller woman's face and pulled her closer, allowing Michiru to hide in the crook of her neck. She felt the smaller body quiver against her own, felt the sobs become muffled by her skin, felt her own tears wet the aqua hair. They lay like that, crying in silence, until they both accepted that there was no other way. Eventually, Michiru raised her head and kissed the traces of tears away from Haruka's face.

"What's going to happen?" she whispered as she looked into the emerald greens.

"I don't know…" She kept the eye contact while all her fears flashed through her mind, she wasn't about to voice them. "But whatever happens, I want you to know that it's between me and Haru, not me and you. I want you to know that I made my decision and I will stand by it, but he is my twin, Michiru, my best friend, my flesh and blood, and I have committed a mortal sin against him. No matter what happens, don't forget that I chose you… and let us sort things out between ourselves."

Michiru gulped hard. She wanted the twins to figure this out first because she understood clearly that her unfaithfulness to her husband was nothing compared to the crime Haruka committed before him. She also needed them to figure things out because she needed to know where they stood before she faced her biggest fear: her parents. She wasn't ready to deal with them. She needed Haruka fully behind her; she didn't really expect Haru to back them up, but she needed Haruka to be there with her. All the way there. She just couldn't shake off the apprehension about Haru learning of what they did. She almost wanted to be there with Haruka, but knew that that would only make things worse. She could only wait, and wait she would.

"I will never forget that, Haruka." She sealed her promise with a tender kiss. "You better take a shower before you go."

"Only if you join me."

"Postponing the conversation will not make it any easier. God forbid he comes looking for you first," Michiru replied quietly.

Haruka looked at her for a long moment, knowing that she was right. "I know." She got up and went to the bathroom to wash away her sin, at least the smell of it.

Michiru watched as the tall woman came back out much quicker than she herself would. The blonde hair was towel-dried, but still moist. She watched as Haruka walked to the wardrobe and pulled out one of her suits, throwing it on the edge of the bed, followed by a black shirt. She put underwear on, followed by the garments from discarded hangers. Within minutes she stood fully dressed, looking impeccable and calm. Michiru knew that that was not how the blonde felt.

"You look like you're going to a funeral," she tried to joke.

"I might."

"That's not funny, Haruka." Michiru grew serious.

_I wasn't joking_, Haruka thought, knowing full well that if Michiru was her wife, she would kill anyone who dared to touch her. Her brother was no different, she knew that. The only difference in the equation was that she was his sister. She didn't know if it made things better or worse.

"I want to look presentable in case I have to leave the island. It may be necessary for both of us to cool off." She walked up to the woman wrapped in the sheet and brushed her cheek with the back of her fingers. "This is what I meant by you remembering that it's between me and him. Whatever happens, don't ever think that I'm running away from you. I've told you that I would never do that again and I intend to keep my promise. This is about us: Haru and I."

"I understand." She thought she ran out of tears for a while, but apparently that was not the case.

Haruka wiped the tear away and kissed her hard on the lips. She wanted to remember that kiss, keep it with her when she faced her brother. She pulled away, turned around and left the suite without looking back, knowing that she would find another reason to stay if she did.

Michiru watched her leave, watched the door close shut behind her; when her tears dried she grabbed a robe from the bathroom, picked up the pieces of what used to be their clothing, and left for her own suite.

**X X X**

Most of the hotel guests were still asleep, so the hallways were empty on her way to the judge's chambers. She reached his door and knocked without any hesitation. Haru opened the door in a matter of minutes, a towel wrapped around his hips.

"Morning sunshine, sorry, I just got out of the shower." He left the door open for her as he went inside to grab his clothes that were laid out on the bed.

She closed the door and stood by it, waiting for him to get dressed.

"The opening was a complete success. I couldn't find you in the crowd, but I talked to many of our guests and they were all enjoying themselves to the fullest. We have to do something to celebrate this." He motioned for her to come inside after he put his shirt and pants on. "What do you think? Should we do a family celebration? Just you and I? Both?"

He looked at her after not getting any reply. She was just standing there, looking at him, not an emotion on her face. "What's wrong, Ruka-chan?" He walked up to her and stood just a couple of feet away, greens locked on greens.

"I slept with Michiru."

"I'm sorry?"

"I slept with Michiru."

"Define 'slept' for me, will you?" His voice was dangerously low. He caught on the meaning of the word, he just wanted to make sure she was not referring to simply sleeping with Michiru in the same bed which he knew she did at the lodge. His witnessing the two of them sleeping together was what made him give her a choice in the first place. He knew they didn't have sex that night, they were both wearing their pajamas and it was too early for them to sleep so deeply that they didn't notice his entrance if they did do something.

"I had sex with your wife, Haru, last night. Me and Michiru had sex." Darkness flashed through her system for a second before it was replaced by a blinding pain. She straightened herself and touched her jaw where Haru's fist connected with it. She watched him stand in front of her, rubbing his knuckles with the other hand, his lips in a thin line, his eyes burning with… rage, pain, disappointment. She didnn't dare to move.

"Why?" he whispered finally.

"Because I love her."

He snorted. "Haruka, you may be in love with her, you may lust for her, but you don't love her. You don't even know her."

"You are wrong," she answered, pain clear in her voice.

He looked at her skeptically. "Enlighten me."

"I knew her before you did." She saw his sarcasm disappear, replaced by true surprise. "She was the woman from the club, Haru, the one I met the weekend before mother dropped the bomb on us. I knew it was her when I saw her in our living room."

She watched as emotions paraded through his face. He didn't bother to cover them up. Surprise turned into astonishment, disbelief, realization, pain, anger. Lots of anger.

"And you are telling me this now? What the fuck, Haruka?" He turned around and walked away from her. If it was anyone other than his sister, they would be on the floor trying to catch their breath, but he couldn't hit his twin. Not again.

"Did it ever occur to you that this whole god damn mess is your fault?" He turned around to face her again, now from a safer distance. "You knew from the beginning that she was gay, you already knew you liked her, why are you telling me about this now? You knew this would never work, why did you let me fall in love with her? Shit, I gave you a choice, Haruka, I asked you what I should do, why didn't you tell me then? Did it not occur to you that being silent on the issue would lead here? To this?"

"I wanted you to be happy. She accepted her parents' wishes, she married you. I thought you two had a chance. I promised to step away and I did. I didn't want to hurt you."

"Is this what it looks like?" He was on the verge of yelling. "Do I look to be happily married? Do I look not hurt? Oh, that's right, happily married people do not have their spouses cheat on them with their own sisters… How can I not be hurt, Haruka, not only did you sleep with my wife, you did that after you yourself promised to not be in my way!"

"I couldn't find any other way out." Her tone was still low compared to Haru's. "We were all pretending, all unhappy."

"So you decided to make me your sacrificial lamb? You decided 'fuck this, I'm gonna do what I want and to hell with the consequences'?" He was breathing heavily, red mist distorting his vision. "Have you ever thought of consulting me before making a decision that will affect my life, possibly to the point of ruin? Did you think about us before pulling the trigger?"

"What would you have me do, Haruko?" Now her voice was on par with his.

"I don't know. You didn't give me that choice when it mattered. What I want you to do now is get the hell out." His rage helped him ignore the torment in her eyes. "Leave Haruka, I need to not see you right now. I need to not be anywhere near you. I'm sure you can at least do that for me."

She kept their eye contact for another few moments, flexing her hand, before she turned around and walked out of his suite. Walked out of the hotel, straight to the darn helipad.

**X X X**

To her greatest displeasure she saw the helicopter being prepped for departure, both sets of parents standing by the helipad. They noticed her and smiled their good mornings, everyone's mood lifted by the success of the opening. When she barely responded to their congratulatory speeches, they almost decided to leave her alone, except that Kaito could not contain himself and not point out that she was about to jump in the helicopter she opposed so vehemently.

"So, do you admit now that it was a good idea to include it?" He smirked at her.

"No," she barked as she surveyed the insides of the helicopter and noted that there was only one pilot. She fully intended to use co-pilot's seat to avoid any more conversations. That was truly the last thing she needed right now.

"You are using it nonetheless," he kept pressing.

"There are more chances of the helicopter crashing than there are of the boat, so I'm taking my chances today, Kaioh-san. Neither you nor the damn helipad idea have anything to do with it." She turned around and walked to the other side of the helicopter, jumping in the seat and closing the door shut behind herself.

"What is up with her today?" Kaito mused.

"Well, maybe you should learn to leave it be at some point," Riku replied, hiding his concern. "Are you sure you guys don't want to come back to Tokyo with us? It looks like you may be stuck here for a couple of days if the storm breaks."

"I think we deserve a little getaway from the city." Miho smiled at him. "We'll be fine, but you should go before the weather prevents you from getting there safe."

They said their goodbyes and parted. Tenohs got inside the helicopter, while Kaiohs walked away to the side, to be safe from the blades. They waved as they watched the machine get up in the air, until it disappeared from the view.

**X X X**

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't in any physical pain, and if she was, it was nothing compared to her mental anguish. Her eyes were closed, the tears escaping from underneath long lashes. No sound escaped her lips. She may have deserved this, but she still could not believe it was happening to her. Even more so, she didn't know where they could go from here. For the first time in her life she was in so much agony that she wanted something or someone to release her from it… take it all away… she doubted that hell, where she would undoubtedly end up, was much worse than what she was going through.

**X X X**

He ran out of the hotel, as fast as he could, as far away as he could. He fell to his knees in the wet sand, his forehead touching the ground. He could not believe any of this. He wished for an intervention, but he never imagined that it would happen this way or that it would hurt as much as it did. Losing Michiru like this shook his whole being, but betrayal of his twin was so much worse. It brought out things he didn't know he had in him. It brought a man he didn't know out. A man who could physically hurt her. A man who could physically hurt his sister. He felt all that vile come up his throat, choking him, suffocating him, until he released it, along with the contents of his stomach. When the last purging convulsion ended he got up slowly and walked into the ocean, washing away his sins and baptizing himself for a new life. A new life where he would fix everything. He came back to the surface as the first large rain drop hit the ground, the storm finally breaking.

**X X X**

Nanami hadn't slept at all; she couldn't. That nagging feeling didn't leave her after what she saw the night before, it intensified. It was a bad omen, she knew it, she just didn't know what happened, beyond the obvious. Sora was in her suite, preventing her first from going to Haruka's suite and then from going to her sister's. If Nanami was alone she would have done so a long time ago, but he stopped her. Sora knew that one of the twins finally grew a pair of balls and she was about to lose them again. He didn't want the woman he loved anywhere near the pair, he was afraid for her well-being. At noon Nanami's patience with him ran out and she insisted on at least going to Michiru's suite. He didn't have any choice but to let her go.

She walked up to the door and found it shut, but not locked. She listened for any sounds coming out before opening it slightly, locking it behind her and cautiously walking in.

"Michiru?"

She didn't find anyone there. She walked around, her eyes falling on the light underneath the bathroom door, which she entered.

"Michiru, what's wrong? Honey, what happened?" She flew to the still figure, sitting down on her knees but afraid to touch the figure of her sister.

Michiru was sitting in the tub, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. Hot water was still running, covering her up to her trembling forearms. There were no tears, no emotions on her face. She was just rocking back and forth, staring straight ahead into nothingness. Back and forth.

For the first time in her life Nanami panicked. She had no idea what happened. She could assume, but didn't know for sure. The woman in front of her was a stranger, she has never seen her before, didn't know how to deal with her. She stopped the water and pulled out a cellphone from her pocket, dialing the number without bothering to look at the screen.

"I need you to come to Michiru's suite."

She hang up without waiting for a response and grabbed a towel, wrapped the still rocking figure in it, picked the discarded robe from the floor, and brought it closer.

"Come on, Michi, you have to get out," she pleaded, barely holding her tears.

Michiru didn't stop what she was doing, but allowed her sister to dry her off. When Nanami put a robe on her shoulders, Michiru shook it off, got up and went to her wardrobe, from which she retrieved a set of loungewear Nanami didn't know her sister owned. She put it on and slid down to the floor, her back leaning against the wall. Nanami watched her in silence until she heard a knock on the door and left to open it.

"What happened?" Sora shut the door behind himself and walked briskly to face the woman sitting on the floor. Taking the picture in, he looked back at his girlfriend, saw her wet pleading eyes. "We need to get out of here." He extended his hand to Michiru. "Come on, we'll take you home." She accepted, rising up and allowing a glimpse of hope show in her features. He wrapped his arm around her waist and motioned for Nanami to get her purse.

"Go get what you need from the suite and meet us in the lobby."

"How are you intending to get us off the island, Sora-chan?" She nodded at the window pointedly. The large drops of rain fell to the ground, manifesting the beginning of a storm.

"By boat." He looked away from the window and back at her. "Did I ever mention that I lived in the States because my father was a US Navy SEAL Warrant Officer?"

"No. Are you?"

He laughed at that. "No, but I was taught a good set of skills that will allow me to get us out of here, so long as I can find a boat."

**X X X**

She jumped out of the helicopter and walked briskly towards her car; grabbed the keys out of her employee's hand and got in without thanking him. Neither Nariko nor Riku had a chance to put a word out before the Veyron disappeared from their sight. She drove towards the penthouse. Somehow it had become her new lair in the past months, ever since she started avoiding Michiru. This time it wasn't the aquanette she was avoiding, it was her twin, her parents, and the rest of the world. She threw the keys on the stainless steel counter and walked straight towards the freezer. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped some ice in it and put it to her hurting jaw. She then walked to the bar and grabbed an empty glass. She hesitated for a while, looking at the stock and trying to figure out what she needed at the moment. Nothing seemed to catch her eye, she just stood there, staring. The sharp coldness penetrating through the material on her jaw finally made her concentrate; she grabbed the bottle right in front of her and poured the clear liquid in the glass, walked to the sofa and slumped into it with all the heaviness she felt inside.

Her senses were still scattered around. Compared to the things she had imagined, he didn't react as bad as he could. Yes, his hitting her was agonizingly hurtful, and not in a physical sense, but she imagined worse. His wanting her to get away was the sign of exactly how close he was to losing it. She was barely controlling her own temper, but she couldn't do anything. Even worse, she didn't know where they would go from here. It was obvious that Haru needed time, but she didn't know how much and what his resolution in the end would be. She finished her drink and got up to pour another one.

She ignored the land line ringing, knowing who it was. She had no desire to talk to them, that's why she shut her cell off. She finished pouring the drink, walked to the buzzing device and unplugged it from the wall. That's ought to give her some peace and solace. She walked back to the couch and went back to her musings.

A knock on the door brought her back to the dark reality; both figuratively and literally. She glanced at the lit city and decided to ignore whoever it was, finding a better position on the couch. Whoever it was was not going to give up easily, the banging adding to her headache and agitation. She got up and walked to the door, pulling it open in a rough motion.

"What?"

The light outside blinded her momentarily before she was able to concentrate on her mother's concerned face. She groaned and retreated back into the darkness of the living room, leaving her mother at the open door.

"What happened, Ruka-chan?" Nariko closed the door, walked up to the kitchen and turned the recessed lights on, leaving them at a dim level. She took in the sight of an empty glass and a wet towel next to the couch and a half-empty bottle of vodka on top of the bar. She sighed and walked up to Haruka, who was sitting on the couch, her elbows on her knees, her head between her arms.

"Ruka-chan, what's wrong?" She sat down next to her, sliding her fingers through the short blonde strands, untangling some of them in the process.

Haruka pulled away from her touch and got up. She grabbed her glass and refilled it, getting another one out and doing the same. She walked back to the couch and sat the new glass in front of Nariko, walking away again and leaning against the closest wall.

"I don't drink vodka, you know that."

Haruka looked at the eyes she could barely see in the semi-darkness. "You will by the time we're done talking."

Nariko's eyebrows rose as her worry increased. She leaned back into the couch and prepared herself for what looked like a long night ahead of them. She studied her daughter's face, now that at least some light hit it directly. Her eyes fell on the slight discoloration of the jaw and the browns narrowed.

"What's going on?"

"I want to know why you arranged the marriage."

"You know why." It was like beating around the dead bush. Their reasons didn't matter anymore, what was done was done.

"No, mother, I don't. Please enlighten me."

Nariko sighed, studying the green eyes. They were impenetrable. "Riku and I met Kaito and Miho when we were in school. They were already married, Riku coming from the Kaioh line that was well-known to all of us, business students, and Miho came from another old bloodline that didn't have a family business, but rather had generations after generations of artists. She was the first generation that skipped the tradition by becoming interested in developing a business based on art and entertainment as opposed to creating them. Their marriage was arranged, they were still getting to know each other, while we were engaged and waited for a time when we could afford a wedding. Your father and I came up with our first project before we met the Kaiohs, but we were just students with no financial backing. Kaito bought on to our idea and convinced his father to finance the mountain resort. That started the Tenoh Group. The four of us became very good friends over the years, having had to deal with the business world we learned that finding meaningful relationships was virtually impossible. It is very hard to find people that care for you and not who you are, especially as you mature."

She changed her position before continuing. "Having had to suffer through the creation of our business from the ground up, having had all the betrayals and all the disappointments, we stuck together because we were a family, even if not by blood. After me and Riku got married, your father and Kaito suggested that we should tie our family by blood, tie our businesses together. They proposed that we arrange a marriage between our first-borns. I had you two first, so it was just a matter of picking the right twin when Miho had her first-born." She gave Haruka a small smile. "Michiru was born and the agreement was made within the first hours, in the delivery room. It seemed like such a great idea to all of us. It brought us even closer; we had no reason to suspect that it would not work - Kaito and Miho were as happy as us, and their marriage was arranged," she trailed off.

Haruka looked at her in silence for a long time before speaking again. "You arranged a marriage with the wrong twin."

"She was a girl and he was a boy, how else could we have arranged it?"

Haruka's face became distorted by a sarcastic expression. "If only it was that easy, mother." She gulped the remained of her drink down. "Have you ever given any consideration to the fact that Haru or Michiru may fall in love with someone before you let them in on the secret that their future had been decided for them?"

"No," she answered quietly. Somehow they thought that it would all just work out. They were still young, Michiru was involved with her studies, Haru with his job, neither seemed to have any involvements. "Neither of them had anyone, Ruka-chan." She wasn't sure if it was a snort or a chuckle she got in response. She watched her daughter walk back to the bar and empty the rest of the contents into her glass, disposing of the bottle.

"Have you ever thought that they may just never fall in love with each other?" She sat down opposite her mother.

Nariko shook her head. "We always hoped they would, but if they don't, they will share the companionship. It's still better than how many other couples that fall head over heels for each other end up."

"And who are you to tell that they will have even that - companionship?" Her voice finally gained some emotion.

"Who are you to tell that they won't?" Nariko was keeping her temper at bay, not wanting to make this any worse and still trying to get to the bottom of where this was coming from.

She just stared at her mother. For a very long time. "I am the one who has been watching them both suffer for the past eight months. One because he fell in love with a woman he will never have and the other because she doesn't share the sentiment."

Nariko was both surprised and agitated by the statement. "And what makes you think you know so well what is going on between them or that they have no chance at happiness? Wishful thinking?"

Haruka felt like her mother just slapped her across the table, though neither of them moved. "I know that because I know what my twin feels, I know what he thinks. At least I used to. I know that it will never work, because I have watched them try and fail. I know that it will not work, just like none of your attempts to get me married worked."

"Michiru is gay?" She watched in horror as her daughter gave her a single nod. Her hand automatically reached for the glass that had been sitting in front of her, the contents being absorbed by her system in one shot.

Haruka smiled for the first time, though it looked more like a smile of spider watching its victim fight against the web. The difference was that in this case the victim, her co-conspirators and the fate made the web.

"Yes, mother, Michiru is gay."

The meaning behind her daughter's earlier words suddenly became clear. "_You arranged a marriage with the wrong twin."_

Nariko got up and walked to the bar, searching for something milder and grabbing a bottle of sake. She returned to the couch and set the bottle between herself and Haruka.

"Do you love her?"

"I told you that the day of the wedding, mother."

She nodded in trance before raising her eyes to the green ones. "Does she love you?"

Haruka was startled by the question. Did Michiru love her? She certainly cared for her, she was willing to wait for her, she made love to her… did she love her? "I hope so."

"You hope so? So you would actually prefer your happiness to your brother's?" Nariko's temper finally resurfaced.

"And you would prefer his to mine?" Haruka shot back.

"I would prefer for both of you to be happy," she answered honestly.

"You took away any chances of that."

It was Nariko's turn to flinch from the symbolical slap in the face.

"We both love her and she is only one woman. Only one of us can have her. One or neither."

"So you have decided that she will be yours or she will belong to neither of you? How considerate." Nariko's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Even if I wasn't in the picture, you would still have an issue of a gay woman married to a man. With me in the picture you just have someone bringing that issue to the surface."

"If you weren't in the picture they may have had a chance." Nariko raised her voice against her own wishes.

"Really? Are you insinuating that being gay is something you can 'cure,' mother?" Her voice was dangerously low.

Nariko gave her a long look before answering. "If I thought that it was possible, I would not have a gay daughter, would I?"

Haruka stood up, the emotions she had been bottling up barely at bay. "Shitty for you that you do then. Even worse, your gay daughter is in love with your gay daughter-in-law."

"I think we have established that." She gulped her sake down. "Is there a point in there somewhere, Haruka? What do you propose to do?"

"I'm not proposing anything, mother. I have already used the only door out I saw, I just wanted to know why I had to enter that door in a first place." Her tone matched her mother's.

"What did you do?" The fear was clear in her expression.

Haruka looked at her evenly. "I told Haru."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I love his wife and that I have slept with her." Blackness engulfed her again; this time it was a slap, not a punch, but her mother managed to hit her in the same spot Haru did earlier, increasing the pain. She never knew her mother was that quick or agile. She grabbed the still wet towel and put it back on the hurting spot. "You had no right to do that!"

"Neither did you! Who gave you the right to sleep with your sister-in-law?" They were both screaming, while pointing fingers at each other.

"Who gave you the right to make her marry my twin?"

"I didn't make her, she agreed to it!"

"Of course she did, what choice did she have? Be disowned or enter a marriage she dreaded?"

"I still don't see how you fit into the picture, Haruka!"

"I fit into the picture because I met her first, because I fell in love with her first, because I had to suffer because I was torn apart between the brother I love and the woman I love. You are the reason why I had to hurt my own flesh and blood like I would not want to hurt an enemy, it is all your fault, not mine, not hers, not his, it should not be our burden, it should be yours!" Angry tears were streaming down her cheeks as she finished her accusations.

"Calm the hell down, both of you!"

They both jumped from the booming voice that startled them from the dark hallway.

"Neither of you is helping the situation by blaming it on each other. Yes, it was our god damn fault for coming up with the arrangement, but it was yours for not coming clean from the beginning." Riku walked to the light switch and brought it all the way up, looking at the wet, flushed faces of his wife and daughter.

"How long have you been standing there?" Haruka finally forced out in horror.

"Long enough to hear everything you had to say to your mother." She had never seen him this angry before. "I didn't know you were this weak, Haruka."

"Excuse me?"

"You, knowing everything that you did, were not strong enough to lay it out in plain sight, at least for your brother. You made yourself believe that what you were doing was for the best, when in reality you were simply afraid of doing what was right. You laid the bed Haruka, so don't complain about having to sleep in it." He came closer and picked up the empty glasses, taking them to the kitchen. "Even now, instead of dealing with it like an adult, you are drowning yourself in self-pity. Both of you." He directed the last one to his wife, who seemed to be as bothered by his demeanor as Haruka.

"Yes, it was our fault for setting up the arrangement, but it's nothing new or uncanny in our society. Now that we have the knowledge of the actual inner workings of that arrangement and because we love you, love all of our children, we will fix that problem to the degree that we can." He finally let go of the glasses on the counter and walked back into the living room.

"What you did to your brother is between you and him. You got yourself into that mess, I can't help you there, but we will talk to Kaito and Miho about the rest of it and try to find a reasonable solution. So stop blaming each other, stop making the situation worse, and let's go put food in your stomachs before the alcohol eats your insides away."

They just stood there, looking at him, taking in his words. Haruka tried to sort through the whirlwind of emotions and couldn't. She wasn't sure if she should be happy, grateful, upset, ashamed, or something else. If she was to pin one emotion down, it would probably be astonishment.

"I'm sorry," she breathed out, coming back to her senses and realizing that she was holding her breath for a while.

"You should tell that to your brother, you have nothing to apologize to us for. We owe an apology to you." His voice and eyes finally softened. He stepped closer and hugged her now trembling body.

Defeat. Those were tears of defeat. This whole time that she was trying to make her brother happy, tying to avoid a battle against her parents, Michiru's parents, she was only digging her own grave. She should have come clean. She just never expected her parents to support her, so she let Haru fall in love with Michiru, let Michiru suffer, let herself suffer. She felt so tired. Unbeknown to her, she had become her biggest enemy.

She felt her mother join the embrace. "I'm sorry Ruka-chan. This is my fault too, I should have done something before the ceremony. I'm sorry I let you down."

Their embrace was eventually broken by Riku, who was serious about feeding them. "We will go see Miho and Kaito at the oRb in the morning, but for now, where can we get food at this hour?"

Haruka smiled through her tears and promised to find a place to do just that.

**X X X**

She didn't realize how hungry she was or that she had not had any food all day until she bit into the first piece of pizza. They enjoyed their food, almost like they did before this whole mess started. After Riku was satisfied that both of his women had enough to dilute the alcohol, he and Nariko dropped Haruka off at the penthouse and went home to get at least a few hours of sleep before their trip that was sure to bring a hard conversation.

Despite the partial resolution to her problems, she couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She kept tossing and turning until uneasy daze numbed her senses. She stirred a few hours later, feeling someone else's presence in the bedroom. She opened her eyes in the dawn of the morning and found her mirror image staring at her from the door frame. She was startled both by his presence and by the fact that she didn't know what to do, how to react.

"I thought you wanted me to stay away from you," she finally said, getting off the bed and throwing a bathrobe on.

"I do." He didn't move.

She looked at him pointedly without responding. He was the one who came, she doubted that he didn't expect to see her there.

"I just want to clear a few things up before you leave."

"Where am I going?" She looked at him in shock. Was he serious?

"It's up to you, but you are staying away from me, my wife, and my life… until I'm ready for you to come back."

Her jaw dropped. Yes, he was completely serious. "Haruko, maybe I didn't make myself clear, but I do not intend to leave Michiru. I would have never done what I did if I wasn't serious about her."

"I know. I didn't ask you to leave Michiru, I asked you to go away for a while. I need time, Haruka. I need time to process the fact that my twin stabbed me in the back. I need time to accept that my wife will be with my sister. I need space from you and I need to not see you and her together for a while. I cannot leave because I have Kaioh-Tenoh Corp to worry about. Your absence will hardly surprise anyone."

They had a staring match, neither giving up.

"Can you do that for me?" Haru finally asked without breaking the eye contact.

She considered the possibilities and thought that leaving was a rather small sacrifice. Michiru promised to wait. She would certainly wait if it meant that the end result was the two of them being together and her and Haru being on normal terms again.

"I will."

**X X X**

She took a long shower, thinking of all the events of the past forty-eight hours and trying to figure out where she would go. The US seemed to be an obvious choice. She walked to the kitchen, flipping the TV on on her way and grabbing a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator. She turned around, raising the glass to her lips, only to let it fall to the tiled floor and shred in million pieces, just like her life, at the changing images on the screen.

* * *

AN: The song is "Revolver" by Madonna & David Guetta


	21. Picking Up the Pieces

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**Picking Up the Pieces**

_5:00 AM_

_June 3, Tenoh Estate, Tokyo_

He opened his eyes in complete darkness. It didn't feel like he had any sleep, even though he had been in bed for hours. It was quiet, the rest of the house still under the covers of the night.

"Are you awake?" he whispered to the woman laying next to him.

"I am," she whispered in return, turning around and placing her arm around his mid-section.

"I think it's pointless to try and sleep. Should we make it an early arrival?"

"There will be no good timing for it, so we might as well."

He brought her closer, hugging her to himself and sharing a morning kiss. They parted and went on to get ready. They didn't bother to wake up their staff, the only call they placed was to the pilot. Riku got behind the wheel of their Lexus and drove out of the estate's grounds. The roads were still empty, the thickness of the pre-dusk morning almost impenetrable.

"We still have time, do you want to stop for coffee?"

"Sure." He looked at her momentarily before returning his eyes back to the road. "How do you think they will take it?"

"Which part? The part where the marriage we arranged will never work, the part where their daughter is gay, or the one where our daughters are involved?" Her voice was strained.

"All of them, I guess, but I think Michiru being gay will be the hardest on them. We always joke about how traditional Miho is, but in reality they both are. I have no idea how they will take it. Do you?"

She shook her head. "No, but at least we will be there to support them. We have accepted Haruka for who she is, whether she realized it this whole time or not. They don't love Michiru any less than we love our daughter, I'm sure they will learn to accept it."

She thought for a while before adding: "You know, under other circumstances I would actually admit that I'm happy that Haruka and Michiru care for each other. I love them both and I'm glad that they will have a chance at happiness together. I just wish Haru wasn't a casualty of their happiness… or our planning."

Riku nodded in response. They both accepted that they made a mistake, both hoped to correct it to the best of their ability. Hoped that their friends would feel the same way. All they had to do was wait until they got back to the oRb… and open their friends' eyes.

**X X X  
**

_7:00 AM_

_June 3, Kaioh Manor, Tokyo_

Nanami was watching the sleeping form of her sister from the bedroom door. They had a long and tiring day yesterday, so it wasn't surprising that Michiru was still asleep. The fact that Nanami was awake, on the other hand, would surprise many. After they finally made it to the bigger island by boat, they realized that their efforts would not get them far. All planes were grounded until the storm passed, so they ended up sitting at the airport for hours. That gave Sora and Nanami an opportunity to question Michiru about what happened. She eventually told them that Haruka went to confront her brother, just like Sora suspected, and that she had not heard from her since. Any more probing led to nothing, so the couple gave up and found something else to entertain themselves with. They boarded the first plane for Tokyo and came to the manor just before midnight.

Michiru seemed to get better as the day progressed, almost becoming her normal, albeit worried, self. She didn't argue with her sister when the latter insisted on Michiru going to her old bedroom and getting some sleep. Nanami herself, on the other hand, could not sleep. She was worried about what happened and dissatisfied with the limited information she got out of her sister. The evenly breathing form under the covers was not giving her any answers either, so she softly shut the door and went downstairs to find something to occupy herself with until Michiru awakened.

Nanami turned the large LCD TV on, sitting down on the sectional and curling her feet underneath herself. She flipped the channels looking for something interesting, until her finger froze as one of the news channels came on. The slick black remote fell to the floor as she stumbled over her feet, grabbing on to the glass coffee table for support. She picked herself up and ran back to the bedroom.

"Michi, Michi, get up, you have to see this." She shook her startled sister and dragged her downstairs.

"..._It has been confirmed that there were no survivors. The authorities are not sure how many were present on board or that their bodies may be recovered…"_

They both stared in shock at the images on the screen.

**X X X  
**

_7:15 AM_

_June 3, Penthouse, Tokyo_

She took a long shower, thinking of all the events of the past forty-eight hours and trying to figure out where she would go. The US seemed to be an obvious choice. She walked to the kitchen, flipping the TV on on her way and grabbing a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator. She turned around, raising the glass to her lips, only to let it fall to the tiled floor and shred in million pieces, just like her life, at the changing images on the screen.

The wetness at her feet made her move towards the television. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the burning images on the screen. Her hand reached for the volume and brought it up.

"_Again, the breaking news of Kaioh-Tenoh corporate helicopter exploding in the air have reached our studio not even an hour ago, along with these images taken by the witnesses of the early morning accident. It has been confirmed that there were no survivors. The authorities are not sure how many were present on board or that their bodies may be recovered…"_

She didn't listen anymore. She didn't need authorities to tell her how many were on board of the helicopter, she knew that already. Her world just came crumbling down. If she thought that she was crushed yesterday, if she thought she knew what the worst pain was, she was mistaken; because she had never felt the way she felt in that moment. She couldn't even describe it, nor did she care to. There were no tears, no sobbing, no screaming… she just stood, paralyzed, until she could retell the progression of the images and live reports from the scene by heart; knew that she would never forget them. Then, she walked over to the stainless steel counter and picked up her cell, pushing the silver power button to turn it on and not feeling the small pieces of glass that pierced her feet.

27 missed calls. 14 voice mails.

She stared at the screen before unlocking the list. The voice mails were from Sora, Michiru, Mizuki, people she knew and worked with. The other 13 missed calls were the ones she ignored last night, when her concerned parents called her. Oh how she wished they would call her again. She would not turn the phone off this time… She knew that would never happen. She squeezed the small device in her hand before throwing it against the wall. To her satisfaction it would never deliver anyone else's calls in the future.

Her body walked to the closet in the bedroom and got dressed, mechanically. She wasn't controlling it anymore. She had no control over anything in this life, at least so it seemed. She looked at herself in the mirror and a familiar image stared back at her. The only difference was the emptiness of the green eyes. She grabbed the keys and the wallet from a nightstand and walked out to the living room. She paused for a second in front of a picture frame set on one of the shelves, both twins smiling back at her from it. She put it face down and left the penthouse.

Haruka didn't know how to deal with this logically, didn't know if that was even possible, so she did the first thing that came to mind. It was her way of dealing with it, the only way she could semi-function at the moment. She didn't know that she would regret her actions in the future, nor did she care. She got in her car and drove to the airport. There, she bought a ticket to the first departing flight.

**X X X  
**

_8:00 AM_

_June 3, Kaioh Manor, Tokyo_

Michiru was pacing the length of the living room and dialing Haruka's and Haru's numbers interchangeably, but both phones put her straight to voice mail. The effect of calling beach house was the same, penthouse's phone seemed to be disconnected. She looked at Nanami, who was sitting on the couch, her own cell in her hands.

"Anything?"

Nanami shook her head. She called Sora as soon as the first shock wore off, but he didn't answer. She texted him for good measure and was waiting for some kind of a reply. At this point, unsuccessfully.

One of the maids entered quietly and placed a tray of tea and pastries on the coffee table, giving the sisters a pleading look and leaving without a word. They didn't ask for food, doubting that they could force anything down, but appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Nanami looked at the assortment on the plate and gave up, grabbing a croissant and chewing on it in a neurotic manner. The phone she still held in her left hand finally buzzed and she threw the remainder of the pastry back on the plate, bringing the little device to her ear at the same.

"Sora-chan?"

She listened for a long while, staring into nothingness. Michiru kept looking at her questioningly, but couldn't read anything other than worry in the darkening face of her sister.

"Alright, we'll see you there." She clicked the button, disconnecting, and set the phone next to the plate, looking up at her sister.

"He's at the site of the accident, or at least as close as he can be, since the helicopter exploded above the water. The rescue teams are apparently diving from the docks, he's trying to organize efforts in a more efficient manner. Mom and dad just got there from the oRb, he said that they are in a bad shape. He doesn't know where either of the twins are, we should get there as soon as we can."

Michiru nodded, before it hit her that Nanami never mentioned the most important detail.

"Who was on board?"

"Riku and Nariko."

**X X X  
**

_10:23 AM_

_Site of the accident_

Chaos was the best way to describe what the bigger island next to the oRb looked like. News crews, recovery teams, government officials, private crews, emergency vehicles, local observers… everything you would expect when a disaster hits was there. Some people were scurrying around, some were taking a break, others were simply observing the divers that were hard at work. They dove in from the docks, searching for any remains brought to the island by the current. A freight vessel was positioned further out in the ocean, small black dots periodically going up and down its side. The mood was as grim as it could be, the absence of any result disappointing and frustrating to those involved and boring to the bystanders.

Michiru gulped down as she exited the car that brought them from the airport and reached for her sister's hand, taking in the sight. She searched the crowd for their parents or anyone they knew but was unsuccessful.

"Let's see if they are by the boat they used to get here." Nanami offered.

Michiru nodded in agreement and moved towards the docks. They located the familiar boat they themselves used just yesterday and saw their father sitting on its floor, looking out into the ocean. His back was to them, so he did not see their approach. Michiru let go of Nanami and lowered herself down, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Otou-san."

He turned around, looking at both of his daughters in turn and bowing his head in greeting. He seemed older, even though they saw him less than two days ago. His somber expression intensified the wrinkles on his aging face, the shadows making its features more angular and thinner. Michiru could swear he had more gray hair as well.

"Where is Okaa-san?" Nanami asked quietly, looking around in concern.

"She's downstairs, sleeping. I had one of the doctors from the emergency vehicles give her a sedative. As you may imagine, she did not take this well." He pointed at the cabin's door before turning back to the ocean.

"Are there any developments?"

He shook his head in response. Michiru sighed and looked around. Her eyes fell on a solemn figure of her husband. He was standing at the very end of the dock, out of the crews' way, his hands in his pockets, unmoving, watching the efforts. He was wearing all black, much like Haruka did last time she saw her, except that today it was a necessity, not just preference. The wind played with his golden hair, messing it more than usual and making it fall in his eyes. He did not seem to notice.

She remembered everything that happened since the opening, but it barely mattered in contrast to what was going on now. She took a deep breath and quietly walked over, standing next to him on the edge and not daring to touch him.

"I'm very sorry." She was looking at the freighter, afraid to look in his face.

"Apology accepted."

She barely heard it and was wondering if he misunderstood her. "I meant about your parents."

"That's not what you should be apologizing for, unless you caused the explosion."

Her eyes finally dashed to his face. Who was he? He acted like somebody she did not know, was not sure she wanted to either. The sarcasm was out of place.

"Where is your sister?" She decided to avoid that other conversation all together and ask what she truly cared about.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" She kept looking at his profile, he never removed his eyes from what he was watching, never moved, never showed any emotion, no matter what he said.

"I asked her to leave for a while and she agreed to."

"Under these circumstances?" Her voice rose until she got herself back together, knowing that they had an audience. "You asked Haruka to leave when she lost her parents, just like you did?"

"I asked her before all of this and she agreed. I do not see how the circumstances affect the origin of my request or her agreement to do that for me."

Was he made of steel? She definitely did not know this person. She also was quickly growing to hate him. How could he make Haruka go away? She only imagined what the woman was going through… on her own. She felt a small sting of hurt because Haruka did not reach out to her in a moment like this, she could have given her any support she needed, but… perhaps she needed to deal with it in a different way. Michiru promised to wait, no matter what, and she will.

"It would affect the enforcement of your request if you had a heart," she said coldly.

"She's gone, Michiru, _they _are gone. Leave it be. Leave me be."

"Suit yourself." She gave him one last look before returning back to her family.

**X X X**

_10:54 AM_

_Site of the accident_

Sora got to the scene of the accident right after the police did. He had many connections and one of them happened to work for the news. Knowing that Sora had been in Kaioh-Tenoh Corp's employ, the contact called Sora as soon as he heard of the accident on the news wire. Sora caught a ride with the same contact on the news helicopter, arriving at the scene of the accident around seven. Having been blessed with unmatched organizational and directional skills from birth, he quickly got to coordinating and directing the efforts. One of his first and hardest tasks was to contact those directly affected by the tragedy. Neither twin picked up the phone, so he left numerous messages. Next, he called Kaito. The conversation was short, but devastating to the older man.

To aid the efforts, Sora called in private diving crews. He also suggested using the freight vessel Haruka bought months ago for some of the divers, positioning it where the helicopter was seen going down.

He found Haru walking through the crowd and getting inside the taped perimeter around nine. The blonde looked like an emotionless shadow. Upon approaching him, Sora realized that the look was not deceiving, in fact, he acted like an emotionless shadow as well. The friend he knew was gone, replaced by a robot that mechanically answered questions he felt like answering, while ignoring others. After getting a full report from Sora, Haru walked to the dock, where he was still standing.

Sora himself had been standing on the bridge of the freighter, watching divers come back empty-handed hour after agonizing hour. Their only success was locating the cabin's remains. Sora, along with the forensic team, was waiting for the arrival of a crane that would pull the remains of the helicopter out of the water.

_**X X X**  
_

_12:10 PM_

Empty green eyes watched as large rippling circles appeared on the surface of the blue water, a distorted frame of the cabin slowly rising from their center. There was nothing but black, burned, twisted metal left. There was no hope to recover the bodies, judging by the impact of the blast. The crane turned steadily and carefully deposited the form aboard the vessel. It was momentarily surrounded by people, disconnecting the cables and searching for any explanation for the cause of the explosion or any remains. A motor boat departed the freighter and came towards the dock.

Small particles of salty water splashed the motionless figure as the boat came to a standstill. Sora got out and approached his friend. He searched for any changes in Haru's demeanor, hoping that the past hours had any kind of effect that would bring a person to the surface, but found none. He sighed and waited for his presence to be acknowledged. He took the slightest turn of the blonde head as a signal and delivered the news.

"There is nothing that can be salvaged from that wreck. They will keep looking for the black box, but it's unlikely that they will find it… or any remains." He looked at the face devoid of any emotion. "Haru, is there anything I can do?"

Eventually he got a shaking of the blonde head in response. Then, his friend turned around and walked away without a word to anyone present.

Sora watched him leave the same way he came from, without ever stopping, without a word to anyone else. Despite everything he and the twins had been through, he hasd never been this worried about either of them. He stood for a while, dwelling on the subject, then he moved on to the next of kin. He walked to the boat, where all four Kaiohs were sitting on the floor at this point.

Michiru and Nanami seemed tired, but set on staying until they got some kind of resolution. Kaito looked exactly the same as when Sora left him before departing for the freighter, Miho looked slightly better. She was no longer crying uncontrollably like she was a few hours ago, though she still held on to her husband's hand for support, even in their sitting position. Four pairs of eyes looked at him with the same question. Sora squatted to their level and delivered the same report he just gave to Haru.

**X X X**_  
_

_3:07 PM_

Despite the general belief that the remains would never be found, unrecognizable bodies of two out of the reported three people aboard the helicopter were recovered in the afternoon. The first speculation by the forensic team was that the blast initiated in the front, thus, the bodies most likely belonged to the passengers, and not the pilot. DNA testing later confirmed that the bodies belonged to Tenoh Riku and Tenoh Nariko. All further efforts were unsuccessful.

**X X X**

_June 5_, Aoyama Reien, Tokyo

Nariko had always been in love with the cherry blossoms. For their first date her and Riku went to the cherry blossom festival, which they had attended every year ever since. Consequently, they had purchased a plot of land under a cherry tree at the Aoyama Reien decades ago. They had always intended their spirits to enjoy hanami every year.

Though it was Haru's responsibility as the eldest son, Sora took it upon himself to organize the funeral. The only directive he ever got was to not cremate the remains under any circumstances. It was unusual to do so, but Haru curtly explained to Sora that one inferno was enough for his parents' bodies and that he would not allow them to burn again. As a result of this condition, the wake and the funeral became more Western than Kaito and Miho wanted, but their opinion was cast aside by the remaining Tenoh.

Everyone was welcome to the wake, but the funeral ceremony was reserved for the family. There were less than twenty people present, women dressed in black kimonos, men dressed in black suits, white shirts and black ties. Haru stood in the front, his shoulders perfectly square, hands in his pockets, as still as he had been at the dock. The Kaioh family and Sora stood right behind him and to the side, Kaito supporting the shaking frame of his wife, Michiru holding Nanami's hand. Other relatives crowded behind them.

The day was sunny and clear, not a cloud covered the blue sky. There was no wind, all was still, as though the world held its breath to listen to the chanting of the priest. The only other sound was the soft thud of the first casket hitting the ground; another one followed shortly after. The first pieces of soil hit the wood as a single tear slid down from the green eyes, unnoticed by those behind the frozen figure. The masks slipped for just a short moment, allowing the soul-tearing torment to project in the emeralds, before the lids closed and the calm, impenetrable surface was restored.


	22. 40

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 21**

**40**

_Day 9_

The house was silent but for the occasional sound of a fork or a knife touching a plate. Michiru looked at her husband, who was sitting across from her, methodically cutting the chicken breast on his plate, and putting the small pieces in his mouth. Neither has uttered a word all evening. Actually, they haven't talked much all week. Haru's attitude didn't change much since the funeral; he was in his own world, uncaring about those still living in the realm of reality. Michiru was mad about Haruka's absence and didn't feel like initiating any contact beyond necessary, especially with her husband's nasty disposition. Today she made the dinner, but had no intention of even attempting to have a conversation. The blonde finished first, got up, put the plate and utensils in the dishwasher, and left without a word or a glance. Michiru heard the sound of the bike's engine as it passed the window. She finished her food and put away the dishes.

She looked around the dimly lit first floor. As always, it was clean and organized, everything was where it belonged, except for the violin case that found a new home on top of the piano. This impeccability once seemed to be a result of meticulous upkeep, now it seemed a characteristic of the museum quality the beach house had acquired in the past week. It was mostly unused, quiet and empty. Haru seemed to avoid it, only using it for sleep and occasional meal, and spending the rest of this days at the office. Michiru was involved with her career, so she didn't spend much time there either. She looked at the familiar surroundings and remembered the time when all three of them tried to be a family or tried to pretend to be friends. Though it may have been fake, they did have good times and she could see the scenes from her memories play out in front of her. She watched them for a little while, a small smile softening her features, until she walked to the piano and unlocked the black case on top. She took out her favorite instrument and caressed its perfect shape. Raising it to her chin, she picked up the bow and played a tune inspired by her reminiscing.

_**X X X**  
_

_Day 14_

Haruka stood barefoot in the sand, her eyes on the horizon. The waves crushed unmercifully into the shore, their color almost beige from the sand they forced up; stones, shells and other gifts of the sea brought by their might to Haruka's feet. She didn't notice. She just stared over the uneasy surface, as far as the emeralds could see. The images of the accident kept replaying in her head over and over. She couldn't get rid of them. She saw them when she slept, she saw them when she was awake, she saw them when she was driving. Nothing could take her mind off of what happened. It's been two weeks and she hadn't yet shared her pain with a living soul, hadn't even brought it out to the surface yet. Her shock still hadn't worn off, she wasn't ready to let her agony out, because if she did, she would lose it. Completely and utterly lose it to the point of being unable to pick herself up, no matter who was by her side.

She had been functioning on autopilot. She did what she was supposed to at any given moment, but if someone asked her what she did only a minute ago, she would not remember. There was a point in the beginning when she wished she went with them, wished she was on the darn helicopter, wished she didn't have to stay behind like this. However, she wasn't there and she was too strong to take her own life, no matter how meaningless or painful that life was at the moment. Her only connection to reality was a hope that one day she would be able to deal with this and have a future. One that hopefully still had Michiru in it. But not yet, she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready to deal, wasn't ready to have any future. There was no concept of past, present or future inside her system at the moment. The memories got mixed with reality and the useless dreams of how the future could have been. Occasionally she would get a grip on reality, only to lose it next time she was alone. Like now.

**X X X**

_Day 20_

Michiru was sitting in a chair, looking at the ocean in the afternoon glow of a summer day through the curtain wall. It was a Saturday and she had been at home all day, tired from a busy week, tired from still being asked questions about how her husband has been dealing with the loss. She wanted to be alone, wanted some time to herself. She didn't feel like answering any of those questions, didn't know the answers even if she wanted to. Haru still ignored her for the most part, although he did start to grace her with at least the minimal courtesy of an inquiry about her meal plans or her comings and goings here and there. Nonetheless, they had not shared a civil conversation since before the oRb opening and she didn't care to force him to open up to her. She was still upset with his behavior, loss of parents or not, unfaithfulness on her side or not.

She returned her eyes to the book in her lap. It was one of the novels she picked up from the shelf to fill her thoughts with something other than the drama of her own life. She made it through few pages when a chime of a doorbell she had not heard in a while made her jump. She set the book on the side table, next to the phone, and walked to the door. A wave of hot air washed over her as she let Sora in.

"Michiru-san." He bowed to her in greeting. "I was wondering if Haru is here. I gave up on calling him weeks ago."

She nodded in understanding and pointed towards the stairs. "I haven't seen him since he came back from his ride in the morning. Feel free to enter the cave, but be advised that I will not come to your rescue if the caveman decides to have you for dinner."

He gave her a smile at the corner of his mouth, took his shoes off and went towards the master bedroom. He slowly walked up the stairs, unsure how his friend would react to such an intrusion. He has tried to talk to him at the office, but it was useless, as was trying to contact him by any other means. It had almost been three weeks and Sora was beyond worried. Something or someone had to shake him back to reality, no matter how cruel. He knocked on the door softly and entered, not expecting to hear an answer.

To his surprise, Haru was not in the room. He looked around the impeccably clean surroundings, until he found a figure standing outside against the railing of the balcony. Sora exited the bedroom and went through the sliding glass door, halting next to the blonde, and putting his arms on the railing, just like the latter.

"Hi."

No response. He guessed that 'how are you doing' was a stupid question and decided to use the technique of getting to the point.

"You need to shake this off. You need to come back to us, Haru."

Pointless. It was like talking to a wall. One thing that really bothered Sora was that the twins were not dealing with this together. He understood that what transpired between them before the accident was awful, but he still expected them to help each other deal with the loss. If Haru took it this close to heart, he was sure Haruka did too, so why weren't they together? It was obvious that no one else could help Haru. Not his wife, not his friend, no one.

"Haru, you need to bring Haruka back, you need each other. You will help each other heal, no matter what happened between you. This is different, you can have a grudge against her later."

He finally got a snort in return, followed by a cold stare.

"A grudge? Do you think that's what it is?" The emeralds squinted before returning to their normal state. "Do you think that I chose to deal with it this way… because of a grudge?"

"Betrayal would have been a more accurate word, I guess."

He got a shook of a blonde head in disbelief, followed by another long silence.

"You are wrong."

"Why?" He looked at Haru, who turned back to face the ocean.

No response.

"Haru, if I'm wrong, tell me why. Talk to me, let it out. You will feel better… please." His pleading was unanswered, just like anything else he tried.

**X X X**

_Day 24_

Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she turned violently in her bed, fighting with the white moist sheets. The strands of blonde hair clung to each other, falling into her distorted face. She sat up abruptly, breathing heavily, a silent 'no' on her lips. Tormented green eyes stared into the darkness of the bedroom, the burning images of her dream still at the front of her vision. Her nightmares came and went. The past few days they came every night, manifesting that her feelings were finally seeping through the cracks of the walls she had encased her soul in. It was still too early to bring them up to the surface intentionally, but her subconscious finally made a first move, making her deal with the reality of what happened and not her dream infused version of reality, whether she wanted it or not. The reality of what happened was that three people were aboard that helicopter because of her. She was the one to blame of their death, her punishment - the loss. She closed her eyes and fell back on the pillow, waiting for the sleep to take her, no matter where it led.

**X X X**

_Day 26_

Michiru's successful performance at her first concert led to a signed contract for her debut CD with one of the top Japanese labels. The CD was fully recorded over a month ago, but she postponed the release and the corresponding party because of the accident. Her manager, Akane, arranged the new date for the end of June and Michiru didn't want to change it, despite her husband's continued mourning. Her family thought that the timing was good because it would force Haru to come out and deal with the world, whether he wanted it or not.

The release party was to be held at the tRi which, despite being tainted by the wedding, became a favorite venue to both Kaioh sisters. The auditorium was set in a way that allocated space for a short performance by the violinist, followed by an orchestra, as well as a banquet afterwards.

Michiru considered wearing one of Haruka's outfits, but then decided that it would probably be a bit too much and settled on a black evening dress from her own wardrobe. It was a simple black sleeveless Armani dress that reached her knees. The only accent was a ruffle of black fabric at the hem of the dress. She wore no jewelry other than her wedding band. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun, few strands intentionally left out of its middle. As usual, her face had virtually no makeup. Her shoes… after playing with Haruka's fun toys she, once again, settled on a pair of black Prada pumps. When she was all done, she looked at herself in the mirror and almost went back to change, if she had any time left, she would. She looked like she was in mourning. She didn't intend to portray that image.

She grabbed her violin case and wondered, for the first time, if she should have called a driver. She didn't give it any thought, assuming that Haru was going to accompany her, but she never asked. Her hesitation was only momentary as she heard her husband walk down the stairs. She turned around and found an immaculately dressed blonde. To her surprise, his black suit had a small white pinstripe, his shirt was white, his skinny tie black. It was the first show of any color, other than black, she had seen since the day of the funeral. She took it as a good sign and decided to start the evening on good terms by giving him a smile and a complement. That resolve died down soon, as she barely got any acknowledgement in return. She sighed internally, stopped any attempts of communication and followed him out to the garage.

**X X X**

The Spider pulled in front of the red carpet, a valet opened the door for the violinist, while another received the keys from the driver. She waited for him to walk around the car and offer his hand to her. She slid her own through and walked up to the inner courtyard, stopping every now and then for the cameras. They reached the venue and she disconnected herself from her spouse, heading straight backstage in search of Akane. She still had half an hour to spare, but she wanted to spend it preparing for her short show and not in the company of the irritating blonde.

She chose three songs from her new CD to play that evening:

Track 4. _Dull_ pain.

Track 8. _Shy_ periods of peacefulness.

Track 9. _Yearning_ for something that wasn't there.

She named all tracks with the primary emotion that made her compose it, only she and Haruka knew the full meaning of the songs. Once again she wished the blonde was there, but, unlike the last time, she was sure there wouldn't be any pleasant surprise at the end. She decided to dedicate the performance to Haruka anyway.

She smiled at her manager, who was running around the backstage area, making sure the sound, the lighting and all the other little things were checked. She could be a bit controlling and put her nose in other people's tasks, but she did it to make sure that her client didn't have to worry about any of that. And her client, at least this one, appreciated it. The violinist took in her surroundings and busied herself with preparation for her performance.

Twenty minutes later she walked out on stage and greeted her audience with a smile. Most of them were standing nearby, some were sitting at the tables set up midway through the pavilion. It was an informal setting and it pleased Michiru.

"Good Evening. First of all, I would like to thank you for coming here tonight. As you know, this is a first one for me and I'm looking forward to sharing this event with you. To remind you why I even bothered releasing a CD, I will play a small sample consisting of three songs." A few chuckles and many more applause greeted her announcement.

She took that as a cue and brought her instrument to its position. Instead of closing her eyes like she habitually did, she watched their faces. Many of them had attended her concerts, she would have been surprised if there was anyone in the crowd who had never heard her play. She wanted to gauge their reaction. The sample was small enough and she had no trouble concentrating, so she amused herself with the listeners' response to her music. Almost all of them were mesmerized by the sound, emotions she hoped to project reflecting in their faces. Her eyes passed her husband's face, returning to it momentarily. To her surprise she saw emotions there… it was the first time since the accident she had seen any. So, he wasn't made of stone. She almost started to think that he was.

**X X X**

She was slowly walking through the throng, enjoying her champagne and pleasant conversations. Her husband was next to her the whole night, but, to her delight, he barely uttered a word to either her or others. She was perfectly fine with that; she could almost convince herself he wasn't even there. Michiru stopped her musings as she noticed a tall red-haired man approach them.

"Kaioh-sama, it's such a pleasure to hear your music in person." He halted in front of the pair, extending his hand.

Michiru looked at the hand for a moment, before slowly extending her own for the handshake. She deduced that he was a foreigner from his looks and his accent.

"My name is John Doyle and I'm one of your biggest fans."

To her surprise, he didn't shake her hand, raising it to his lips instead and not releasing his hold as he continued speaking excitedly.

"Mr. Doyle, I'm sure that your ignorance of out customs may be excused by the obvious fact that you are a foreigner; however, continuously holding my wife's hand is not a custom of any country. If you do not release her immediately, I will take it upon myself to acquaint you with some of this country's traditions… with pleasure."

It seemed that the short speech delivered in perfect English made the foreigner notice the blonde for the first time. He let go of Michiru's hand, as his face turned a light shade of red.

"Please accept my sincere apology, I got carried away by the excitement of meeting you in person." He bowed to Michiru and, a bit more reluctantly, her escort.

Before Michiru, still shocked by the first comment, could reply, a second comment was delivered in the same steely tone. "Make sure to not get carried away again, Mr. Doyle."

_Enough!_ She wanted to scream it out loud, not just in her head. But, this was her party and she had no intention of causing a scene.

"That is quite alright Mr. Doyle, please don't take my husband's words to heart, he has just lost his parents." She felt fingers digging into her bicep. "Please excuse us." She smiled her most brilliant smile as she was virtually dragged away by the blonde.

They exited the pavilion and soon she found herself in a secluded area that faced the bay. She yanked her arm out of the death grip and turned around sharply.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She was pissed. Her English may not be as good as her Italian, but she understood every word of the unnecessary reprimand. She could take care of herself if she needed to, she didn't want her husband to even think that she needed his help. Besides, what was he thinking dragging her out of her own party?

"What the hell do _you_ think you're doing?" He was staring at her, fuming.

"I _was_ enjoying my release party. Now I _am_ trying to understand where you find it in yourself to come out of your emotionless coma at an unsuspecting guest with unnecessary vile."

"He was inappropriate and so where you for that matter." The emeralds squinted. "I was standing right there."

"Are you for real?" Her own sapphires widened. "He just held my hand for a bit longer than necessary." That in no way compared to sleeping with his sister.

"I was talking about you announcing to a complete stranger personal circumstances of my life."

"You can hardly call them personal, you are a public figure. Only someone who lives under a rock doesn't know about what happened. I was simply apologizing for your behavior."

"And who said that I needed you to apologize for me?" He finally lost control over his temper.

"The host of the party, whose responsibility is to ensure that none of her guests are unnecessarily insulted by her husband!" She followed his suit, no longer reigning her anger in.

"I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience in your life." He turned around and left before she could say anything else.

She stood, speechless, watching him go through the courtyard, get the Spider from the valet and speed off. She finally closed her mouth and unclenched her fists. She returned to her guests, no longer caring about the party.

**X X X**

_Day 39_

Small pieces of gravel crumbled under the heavy, steady steps. Small drops of water shined in the first rays of sunlight, smiling at the visitor. The cemetery was empty and quiet in these early hours of the morning. The figure stopped at the gravestone under one of the cherry blossom trees, lowering to the knees and placing a bouquet of white lilies on the cold marble. A hand reached out and touched the Kanji letters spelling the names of the deceased. The fingers shook slightly as the hand pulled back away to its original position by the side. Slipping into the pocket it balled into a fist.

Moist green eyes took in the surroundings, paying especially close attention to the piece of marble. It was unfair that only two victims of the crash were buried, unfair to the dead. Unfair to the living that were unable to come and visit their spirits. The emeralds closed, the guilt finally eating away at her core. She started blaming herself when the nightmares started and hadn't stopped since. This was the first time she gathered enough courage to come and visit them, to ask for their forgiveness about having to make the trip in a first place. Unbeknown to her, she spent hours kneeling in front of the grave, going over every nightmare in her head, going over everything that was the reason for their flight. Eventually it dawned on her. The flight. That wasn't her fault. Her guilt was misplaced. They wouldn't be dead if they didn't use the helicopter. She opposed the use of the helicopter to commute to the island. She wasn't the one who insisted on it, she wasn't the one who was being visited in it.

The green eyes finally opened, gleaming with determination. Her guilt trip was over. She had tortured herself enough. It was all because of his decisions. Kaito took them away from her.

The nightmares didn't return that night.

**X X X**_  
_

_Day 40_

Black Ferrari California pulled into the expansive garage. Driver's door opened and a stiletto-heeled sandal-strapped leg met the gray concrete of the floor, the rest of Michiru's body following in the next instant. She closed the door, walking around and taking the violin out of the passenger seat. She sighed inwardly as she passed the other vehicles. No spaces were empty, which meant that her husband was home. She wished he wasn't. Her day hadn't been going well so far, it seemed that everything that could go wrong or in a way that annoyed Michiru did. She wanted to be alone, perhaps she should go for a swim. The idea seemed to slightly better her mood. She opened the front door softly and was met by the least expected picture of all. In fact, the picture made her stop in her tracks and hold her breath… for a long while.

Soft sounds of piano filled the house; the melody was sweet and innocent, like a child's smile. Just as Michiru started to melt at the feelings brought up by the sounds, the warmth and tenderness disappeared abruptly, replaced by despair, agony, torment… She kept listening on, the moods kept changing constantly, much more so than they ever did in her own music. She expressed herself through her art, but she has never been this agile, making someone smile one second and cry the next. The pianist made her do just that: she felt loved and content one moment, only to feel tears well up in her eyes from heartbreak the next.

It seemed like a never ending loop, an emotional roller coaster that drained any energy she had left in her. She finally stepped past the threshold and closed the door, the music dying abruptly at the soft thud. She looked at the figure of her husband. He didn't turn around, he just froze. She wiped her tears away and walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and feeling him stiffen in response.

"I didn't know you play." That was an understatement. She didn't know she was married to a musician.

"I don't," he finally forced replied looking at her briefly before closing the key cover and getting up from the bench.

She raised an eyebrow. "Then I must be insane because I could swear that I've been listening to you play just now."

"I doubt any of us are sane anymore, so anything is possible."

"You have a very annoying habit of avoidance." Her sympathy brought out by the beautiful music was fast retreating into the depths it came from.

"That's hardly new."

She grunted. "Go to hell." Why did he have to turn a moment where she sincerely appreciated him for something into another argument?

"I'm already there sweetheart," he said quietly, all sarcasm gone from his eyes.


	23. Desperate Times

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures**

The board meeting stretched for hours. It was supposed to be a quick overview of where the company stood with a few projects in development, but four hours later the doors to the boardroom were still closed, the meeting still in session. Sora sighed and went back inside the South Office; he had been occupying it since the accident. He looked at the neat desk that he tried to avoid as much as possible - he didn't want to invade her privacy, whether she was aware of it or not. He felt like being in her office in the first place was a bit too much, but he was ordered to do so and didn't feel like arguing about that too.

Sora turned away from the city scape as voices reached him from behind the closed door. He walked out of the office and watched the board members crowd in the elevator. Sora assumed that Haru was already back in his office, so he avoided the throng and crossed the floor. He looked at the secretary questioningly, her nod confirming that the young CEO was back indeed. He knocked on the door and entered after a muffled 'yes.'

"How did it go?"

His friend turned around, giving him a long look and sitting down behind the desk. He looked tired and… bored. The chair moved a bit backwards as the blonde leaned into it heavily.

"As always. Unnecessarily long and mostly meaningless. Sometimes I wonder why we keep them." Emeralds locked with browns for a short moment before losing the staring contest and closing. "Sit down, I don't like when people tower over me."

Sora did so, loosening his orange silk tie and taking a deep breath. "Is there any meaningful outcome?"

"We're moving to the second phase of oRb."

Sora sat up straighter. He wasn't sure he was comfortable with that, not that it was up to him. Many things would be different if they were up to him. "Without Haruka? Despite what happened?"

"When did anything stand in the way of this company? Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know, you haven't been here long enough."

"I may not have been here for long, chairman-san, but I know that what happened was unprecedented. This company may not have any empathy or concern for others in pursuit of a goal, but this case is different. Besides, this is Haruka's project, she should be the one taking it to the next level."

"I appreciate your concern for my sister's feelings, but it's a profitable project so far, despite the accident. Our investors want the profits to go up, so we have to continue with the original plan. It doesn't matter whether Haruka is here or not, business is business."

"Can I talk to Haru-chan? Is he still there?"

Sora felt uncomfortable from the penetrating look the green eyes gave him. He no longer recognized his friend, he didn't know how to help, he felt useless… a feeling he hated the most.

"Sora, we were friends long before we had a business relationship; however, you have to realize that the way you act when we work has to be different from the way you act when we socialize."

Sora gulped, feeling like a school boy being reprimanded by his teacher. He wanted to remind his superior that he accepted the offer to have a reason to move to Japan, other than being with Nanami. He didn't have to work for them, he wanted to. Lately, though, it was almost unbearable. The only reason why he didn't just turn around and leave after that little speech was because he genuinely cared for his friend, not his CEO. Not this company.

"As you wish, chairman-san."

He watched as Haru grimaced and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. "Have you seen Hara-san?"

Sora shook his head. "Not since the wake. I think she decided to lay low until further instructions."

"Find her, I want you and her to handle the next stage of oRb. You've been working on it from the beginning, I need you to continue to do so." He sighed. "Let's have lunch tomorrow. I feel like I haven't had a good sushi in… doesn't matter. Let's just have lunch. Meet me here at noon, we'll take a limo."

Sora looked at the blonde for a long moment before nodding and leaving his office and the building for the day.

**X X X**

"How have things been?" Nanami was going through a rack of clothing, mindlessly looking for something she didn't yet have.

"Same old." Michiru was right behind her. "Same old." She gave up on waiting for Nanami to move and walked to a perpendicular wall, where more dresses were hanging.

"He's coming out of his shell. He's starting to talk to people, not share with them, but at least act like a human being. An annoying human being, but that is still better than the robo-Haru that has been walking around the house for almost two months." She took one of the dresses and put it to herself. "What do you think?"

Nanami looked at the light yellow flowing dress in appraisal. "It looks nice, but why don't you wear that green and brown one you have? You know how I love it."

Nanami's third exhibition was scheduled to open next week and the sisters decided to do something they hadn't in a very long time: go shopping. Michiru was looking for a dress to wear, despite Nanami's inquiry into the said green and brown dress from the beginning.

"I know you do, but it doesn't fit me as well as it used to anymore."

Nanami looked at her sister skeptically. "How can something not fit you? You're skinny as a rail."

A small self-conscious laugh escaped Michiru. "As are you, but it's not that. It just doesn't fit the same way, I don't know why. It doesn't matter, I want something fresh anyway."

Nanami sighed and walked up to her. "Try it on, I can't find anything I like here and I'm getting hungry."

Michiru smiled. "Give me a couple of minutes and we can satisfy your cravings and give you enough energy to come back and find something for both of us."

Nanami rolled her eyes before pointing towards the dressing room with her index finger.

**X X X**

Nanami put a piece of negitoromaki in her mouth and moaned in pleasure, closing her eyes.

"Stop being so dramatic," Michiru reprimanded playfully, catching a piece of tuna with her chopsticks and dipping it into wasabi. "You had breakfast four hours ago."

"I had a coffee four hours ago and shopping is exhausting," the brunette replied, chewing.

"Then you should've had a heavier breakfast."

"Nah, I can't eat a lot in the morning, you know that."

"Whatever."

Nanami stuck her tongue out in return.

"Very mature."

"You want me to be mature? OK, let's be mature. Why is Haru-san an annoying human being?" She grabbed a piece of salmon as she looked at her sister seriously.

"I think I prefer your childish behavior." Michiru sighed.

"There is no way to please you, is there? You wanted me to be mature, I am. Talk to me." It would sound upset and serious, like Nanami intended it, but for the piece of fish she was chewing on carefully at the same time as speaking.

Michiru sighed before leaning into the table and supporting her chin with her hand. "I don't know, it's just that he has been acting strange ever since… you know, everything that happened." She looked into space for a while before continuing. "I understand that he has been through a lot. I can't imagine losing mom or dad. I also understand that what Haruka and I did was wrong, but we haven't talked since the accident. Not once. About either event. I have no idea where we stand, I have no idea where we are going to go from here. I'm hoping that Haruka will be able to answer that when she comes, but I don't even know when that is going to happen."

She sipped on the water in her glass before returning her eyes to Nanami. "Did you know that he plays the piano?"

"He does?" Nanami was truly surprised.

Michiru nodded. "I came home last week and he was playing. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. It wasn't like anything I play… similar in a sense that it felt like he was just projecting his feelings, but so different from the way I do it. It just kept changing: love to hate, attention to disregard, contentment to agony, and so on. Over and over again. It was like an emotional cycle that went from one extreme to the other, only to be replaced by the opposite again. I think I understood what he's going through as far as the loss of his parents more in the time I was listening to him play than I will ever by speaking to him. The sad and annoying part was that as soon as he realized that I was there, he just retreated back into his shell and wouldn't even admit to the obvious fact that he was playing. I don't understand why that is such a big deal, I mean he has talent."

"Who has talent?"

They both turned, startled. Sora was standing next to their table, smiling.

"Sora-chan!" Nanami jumped on his neck as though she hadn't seen him in a while.

"Hi sweetie." He gave her a kiss in greeting before returning his attention to Michiru. "So, who has talent?"

"Haru," she answered reluctantly.

"And what talent would that be?" he mused.

"He plays the piano."

"Really?"

"You didn't know?"

Sora looked at her strangely for a long moment before replying. "No, I didn't."

"Well, he does. Anyway, what are you doing here?" She was happy to finally change the topic.

"I'm having lunch with Haru and Mizuki-san. Work lunch," he answered the question in Nanami's eyes.

The sisters nodded in understanding. They had a small chat before Sora left to catch up with his party and the sisters finished their lunch, returning to shopping afterwards.

**X X X**

Sora returned to his table and sat down. "I ran into Kaioh sisters." He looked pointedly at his friend, knowing that there was no way he missed that fact. "You should've said hello."

The blonde gave him the same blank expression he got to every question or probe since the accident before answering. "I have seen my wife earlier and I have no desire to interact with your energizer bunny."

Somehow Sora felt offended at the comment. Offended and, once again, concerned. _Energizer bunny?_ He returned the empty stare the emeralds gave him.

They placed their orders before the young CEO started talking again, this time, about business.

"I want you two to contact the same contractors we had for the first stage. See if we can use the same crews, same suppliers, etc. It will be a lot easier if we are dealing with people that are already familiar with the project. Hopefully the result will be the same."

"I doubt the result will be the same without Haruka-san watching their every step," Mizuki said evenly. She too didn't agree with the idea of moving to the next stage without her direct superior.

"They are not children, Hara-san." The blonde gave her a look that made Mizuki change her mind and just quietly listen to whatever she was told. "I'm sure that you and Sora can set everything up in a way that will ensure similar progress, without any presence from the corporate staff on the island."

"Of course, chairman-san." Mizuki held the stare.

"Good." The blonde head nodded in return, it was most alike robotic satisfaction. "Eat. You'll need the energy."

Neither Sora nor Mizuki doubted that not only will they need energy, but also a tremendous amount of patience.

**X X X**

Paper bags of different colors and logos sat on the floor near the chair Nanami occupied. She was watching her sister walk out of the dressing room, turn around in front of the mirrors, look for Nanami's reaction and walk back inside to put on the next outfit. They have been at this for hours and Nanami was really growing exhausted of the exercise. Nothing seemed to please Michiru. It wasn't even a big deal, it was just another opening - it wasn't Michiru's concert or any other, more important, event for which an in-depth search of a dress would be more appropriate, no matter how much of fashionistas both sisters could be. No, it was something else. Nanami kept looking at Michiru trying to figure out what it was.

She was different. Something was different about her. It wasn't necessarily physical… more so emotional. The way she acted, or rather reacted to things was different. Nanami didn't know if it was a result of the wedding, of the tragedy the Tenoh family went through, Haruka's absence… or all those things at the same time. Michiru and Haruka have always been alike, Nanami knew that perhaps more than anyone else. Their tempers were similar; her sister just had more control over hers. Not lately, though. Lately she reminded Nanami of Haruka. Fiery and stingy. Nanami hoped it was temporary and would go away soon. She wished Haruka would come back soon. Michiru needed her, more than the blonde probably realized.

"Earth to Nanami."

Nanami finally came out of her musings and back to reality, surprised to find Michiru standing right in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Concerned sapphires stared at the thoughtful ones.

"Nothing." Nanami shook her head to make herself believe she was saying the truth. It didn't really work. "Are you ready then?"

Michiru raised her right hand that was holding a navy blue dress. "I think I'm going to take this one."

"Okay. Let's go then."

They grabbed all the other bags, paid and exited the mall towards the parking structure.

"How are mom and dad?"

Nanami sighed outwardly. "I'm pretty sure dad is thinking of going back to work to occupy himself. I'm surprised he lasted at home as long as he did. Mom… she's slightly better than your husband. She's still heartbroken and depressed."

"I knew that they were like a family to each other, I think we all saw it once we moved back to Japan." Michiru watched as her sister nodded in agreement. "I just didn't realize how much they really loved their friends."

"You know, seeing them every day like that makes me wonder if they were the only friends mom and dad had. I don't think there is anyone else in the world they let come as close to their true selves as they did Riku-san and Nariko-san. I think that's why they called them family. Perhaps that's why they put you through all this." She gestured to the wedding band on Michiru's hand.

"Perhaps." Michiru unlocked the car as they approached it.

"They're also worried about the twins. They have no idea where Haruka-san is and why she's not here… I guess they tried to ask Haru-san, but you know how well that worked out. They've asked me, but I just avoid the subject. Last time dad said that he couldn't believe she doesn't have enough sense to be here to support her brother."

"He has no right to accuse her of anything, especially without knowledge." Michiru slammed the door. She started the car and pulled out of the parking spot in a gust of wind.

"Are you trying to drive like Haruka-san or just attempting to kill us?" Nanami looked worriedly at the aquanette behind the wheel.

"Sorry, I'm just annoyed." Michiru gave her a quick look. "Jeez, don't look so sick, I know how to drive."

"Yes, you have been doing that a lot lately. I think you have successfully taken a controlling interest in this car. Now all inhabitants of the beach house have their own fast car. Congrats."

"Are you trying to be funny? Because it's not working," Michiru asked as she steered the California to the speedway.

"No, I'm just babbling because I'm scared of your driving," Nanami answered honestly.

"Oh shut up, I'm nowhere as bad as the twins are."

"Yeah, that's very reassuring. You know, they actually have more experience than you. I almost think it's safer to ride with them than with you."

"Nanami, unless you want to walk the rest of the way home, be quiet."

Nanami considered calling a driver, but was too worried about her sister getting home in one piece, so she just edged further into the seat and closed her mouth. Yes, Michiru was definitely not herself these days. She much preferred when her sister used the violin to channel her emotions. It was much safer for her and other poor souls on the roads of Tokyo.

**X X X**

"Ogawa-san, you have the most annoying habit of unnecessarily discussing the same point for hours. I truly wish that would change. I don't have this much time to waste every time we have a meeting."

Ogawa swallowed, holding the cold stare nonetheless. "I'm sorry Tenoh-san, but we do need to make sure that there is a concrete plan before we put the wheels in motion."

"There was no concrete plan last time and I don't see anyone complaining about the way it worked out. We have the same team working on it, they are here to reassure you that they are familiar with what the next stage involves. What else would you like?" The blonde stood up and walked to the glass wall, looking out at the overcast sky.

"Last time we had more people backing up the plan, or absence thereof," he insisted. The other board members were watching the exchange in silence. It was nothing new, quite to the contrary, it became a mundane part of their weekly meetings.

"I'm sorry that the death of my parents has inconvenienced you by lowering the percentage of people backing up the project. However, the final word is still with me and I have approved it. The point is moot, this discussion is over." The young CEO turned around and looked at each of the people present in turn. "What is the next topic on the agenda?"

**X X X**

The elevator doors closed as Sora stepped out of Haruka's office he was told to use temporarily. He walked around the floor, making sure that everyone was gone. After he was satisfied that he and the young CEO were the only people left, he knocked on the door and entered the office. The blonde was shuffling though some papers, still seemingly in a sour mood. He sighed inwardly, preparing for what was to come and knowing that there was no such thing as being prepared for it.

"You never told us when Mizuki-san and I are going to the oRb."

The emeralds looked up at him momentarily before returning to the paper. "The sooner the better. I want you to set the framework and come back. There is no need for you two to stay there like the last time."

Sora nodded. "Kaioh-san mentioned that we should fly the new helicopter there." Kaito made his first appearance in the office that Monday, trying to bury himself in something other than sorrow.

That got some attention. Sora held his breath, waiting for the response.

"Absolutely not." A pen went flying on the table, along with the papers the CEO held. "No one I care about will ever use that god damn machine again."

Technically it was a different machine, but that was not the point. "It's more convenient, you know that. Takes a bit less time too."

The green eyes turned into slits, as a fist balled. "If you want to risk your life to save half an hour by not going to the airport and taking the boat, be my guest. Say hello to my parents when you join them and don't say that I didn't warn you."

The voice was steely, the eyes on fire. Sora hesitated for a moment before continuing with the bait.

"You are being overly dramatic. What has happened to your parents is simply terrible, but it doesn't mean that no one should ever fly helicopters; or that they should never fly to the island. You have never been opposed to it before."

"Circumstances have changed." The tone was starting to rise.

"Statistically more people die in a car accident than in a helicopter accident. That doesn't stop you from driving."

"I'm not talking about statistics, I'm talking about experience, Sora. It shouldn't have been an option in a first place!"

Sora watched as the chair rolled backwards from the abrupt rise of its former occupant. He felt the cold vise inside as he forced out what he wanted to ask for the past week.

"Haruka?"

There wasn't enough time to hide the surprise. He caught it before a blank expression masked the familiar face.

"What the hell is going on?" He could only whisper.

"What the hell is going on with you? Are you high?"

"I have never done drugs in my life and you know it." He kept watching his now irritated friend closely. "What are you doing?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The blonde turned and walked to the window.

He could still see the reflection, though it didn't bring any help. There were no emotions on young CEO's face. Could he be mistaken? He thought about it again, as a nauseating feeling shook him from the inside. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, all he knew was that he was confused and afraid. Afraid to either lose a friend if he was mistaken or uncover something he was better off not knowing if he was right. He decided to put all his cards out. Whatever happened, happened.

"You may keep it long enough from others, but I can tell you apart, princess. We've been together through a lot. You look the same and you may act the same, but you really don't. There are things that are characteristic of each of you, things that make me think that you are who you are and not who you're trying to be."

"As amusing as this is, you are mistaken." The blonde turned around, looking at him without any amusement. "On the not so amusing side of things, who do you think you are to make ridiculous accusations of this sort?"

Sora felt like he was on the edge of a cliff. How could he be that mistaken? He couldn't. He hoped he couldn't. He reached the blonde in three long strides, placed his hand on the waist and a hard kiss on the lips. In the next second he was tipping backwards holding his jaw.

"What the fuck? Who do you think you are?"

Now his friend completely lost that famous Tenoh temper, but it did not matter anymore. He straightened back out before answering.

"I'm the person who dated you. I'm the person who can definitely tell a man from a woman, even with bindings on. I'm someone who knows how each of you act in a board meeting and how you make business decisions. I know your mannerisms. I'm also one of the few people who know that Haruka plays the piano, while Haru doesn't." It was his turn to raise the voice. "So stop lying to me and tell me what the hell are you doing and where is your brother?"

He watched the parade of emotions finally enter the face he once loved, still did, but in a different way. Green eyes finally darkened and tears appeared in their corners. He stopped breathing. He didn't want to know anymore. That nauseating feeling intensified tenfold.

"Haru is dead, Sora." The tears streamed down her face as she said those words out loud for the first time, finally making it a part of reality; and not just her own.


	24. I Will Be Here

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 23**

**I Will Be Here**

_"I don't know what went wrong  
If I did wouldn't matter 'cause  
It just wasn't enough_

_You know that the moment comes  
To be strong your existence  
That's what we're led to believe_

_When the big world falls apart  
And you think that the feeling will linger  
You need somewhere to start  
I will be here_

_And when it all seems to fall apart  
You can't breath  
You don't know what you're thinking  
You need somewhere to start  
I will be here"_

**X X X**

_2 months ago_

_June 3, Penthouse, Tokyo, 5:48 AM_

Despite the partial resolution to her problems, she couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She kept tossing and turning until uneasy daze numbed her senses. She stirred a few hours later, feeling someone else's presence in the bedroom. She opened her eyes in the dawn of the morning and found her mirror image staring at her from the door frame. She was startled both by his presence and by the fact that she did not know what to do, how to react.

"I thought you wanted me to stay away from you," she finally said, getting off the bed and throwing a bathrobe on.

"I do." He didn't move.

She looked at him pointedly without responding. He was the one who came, she doubted that he didn't expect to see her there.

"I just want to clear a few things up before you leave."

"Where am I going?" She looked at him in shock. Was he serious?

"It's up to you, but you're staying away from me, my wife, and my life… until I'm ready for you to come back."

Her jaw dropped. Yes, he was completely serious.

"Haruko, maybe I didn't make myself clear, but I'm not intending to leave Michiru. I would have never done what I did if I wasn't serious about her."

"I know. I didn't ask you to leave Michiru, I asked you to go away for a while. I need time, Haruka. I need time to process the fact that my twin stabbed me in the back. I need time to accept that my wife will be with my sister. I need space from you and I need not to see you and her together for a while. I can't leave because I have Kaioh-Tenoh Corp to worry about. Your absence will hardly surprise anyone."

They had a staring match, neither giving up.

"Can you do that for me?" Haru finally asked without breaking the eye contact.

She considered the possibilities and thought that leaving was a rather small sacrifice. Michiru promised to wait. She would certainly wait if it meant that the end result was the two of them being together and her and Haru being on normal terms again.

"I will."

Haru nodded. He brought his crossed arms closer to his chest, lowering his eyes before returning them back to his sister's. "I wanted to apologize for hitting you. I should have never raised a hand at you."

She shook her head. "I deserved it."

He narrowed his eyes at her, his voice raising up a notch. "Never say that anyone has a right to hit you. Not even me. Especially not me." He sighed, his voice returning to its regular volume. "It's my fault almost as much as it's yours. I saw the signs, I saw you two interact, saw you two sleeping together at the lodge, I knew you liked her from the get go, and I never did anything more than just have that short conversation at the bachelor party. I didn't have the guts."

She listened in silence, processing what he said. He finally disconnected from the wall, walked up to the bed and threw some papers on it. "Take these with you, you'll need them at some point."

She took the papers and shuffled through them, her hands shaking at their meaning.

"I want you to know that I still love you, that's why it hurts as much as it does. I need time to heal."

She finally gave up and walked up to him, hugging him close with all her might, as though she could return what they had by bringing him physically close. "I love you too. I'm so sorry. I hope one day you will find it in yourself to forgive me."

He hugged her back, placing a small warm kiss on her temple. "One day."

"I told mother and father," she said as she stepped away.

"How did they react?"

"They are planning to see Michiru's parents."

Haru nodded thoughtfully. "When are they going?"

"They were planning to go this morning."

"I think I'm going to join them. They will need all the help they can get." He knew that was a fact. He saw surprise in her eyes and decided to clarify. "This doesn't mean that I'm okay with this yet, I still want you gone, but there is no reason to make everything worse." Whether she remembered it or not, he still loved her more than he did Michiru; even if Haruka chose the latter over him..

"Thank you." She hugged him again, not wanting to let go. "For everything."

"I'll call you when I start missing you."

He looked at her for another long moment before leaving the penthouse, on his way to the helipad.

**X X X**

_Present Time_

_North Office, Kaioh-Tenoh Corp. Headquarters_

They were sitting opposite each other on the couches of Haru's office, an empty bottle of sake between them. Sora stared at his empty glass in thought. His brain was processing all the information he just got from Haruka's recollection of that morning. His heart couldn't even start to do so; it was too painful, too sudden, too much.

"So you haven't heard from him since he left the penthouse?"

She shook her head.

"How are you even sure he was there? His body wasn't recovered." He whispered the last part.

"Neither was the pilot's. I made the divers stay there until dark, after the search teams left, but they found neither. His car was parked by the helipad they departed from. His phone has been sending me to voicemail until I disconnected it. He was on that helicopter and it was my fault. My whole family is gone, Sora."

He heard her choke on her words, not for the first time that night. He was happy she did. Even though he understood the way she had been taking the accident a lot more now, he still preferred her yelling or crying, as opposed to the robot he tried to deal with for the past two months. He looked at her. She suddenly felt so weak and fragile, like he had never seen her before. What does one say in a situation like this? Do words even matter? What do you do when what you thought was titanium breaks like a piece of glass?

Sora got up and moved to the other sofa, pulling her in his lap. She no longer seemed to care. Her guard was fully down: something he thought he'd never see again. Something he wished he didn't see at this price. She cried on his shoulder, clutching to the lapels of his jacket, while he simply held her, gently caressing her silky blonde hair. Eventually her sobs died down, her tears stopped, and he felt the jacket being released.

"Why are you pretending to be your brother? Why haven't you told us?"

She got up and wiped her face dry, walking to the sofa he occupied previously. "I didn't know how else to deal with this. It was the first thing that came to mind… and I did it."

"The first thing that came to your mind was 'my brother is dead, I should pretend to be him'?" Sora finally forced, looking at her squarely. What was she thinking?

"I didn't rationalize my actions at that exact moment in time… I just couldn't deal with the loss of my parents and the loss of my twin at the same time. I needed to do it gradually. You have no idea about the hell I've been through."

"No, I don't have any idea, princess, but it seems to me that you made it worse by your own actions, not better." He looked at the dark sky in thought. "When were you intending to tell us? You can't go on like this forever."

She brought her legs on the sofa, hugging them, and put her chin on her knees. "When I'm ready to deal with it."

"And if I didn't call your bluff, when would that be?"

"I don't know… not yet… and you can't tell anyone."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Haruka-"

"Don't bother. I know what you're going to say, but this is my way of dealing with a tragedy… what's done is done, it won't matter if I announce it today or a year from today. It won't change the fact that I hid it from everybody, but I'm not ready yet."

"What about Michiru-san?"

Haruka closed her eyes. Yes, that would be the hardest confession of them all. She hoped there would be a possibility of reconciliation after she dropped that bomb, but… that was just another reason to postpone it. She didn't want to lose Michiru too.

"I can't tell her."

"Princess, of all the people you have left, you should've told her."

"I couldn't, okay?" She got up and started pacing the office. "I couldn't admit that my twin was no longer alive to myself, how do you want me to admit it to the woman who is at the root of all this?"

"Don't misplace the blame on her."

She faced him sharply. "I'm not, I'm past that. I used to blame myself and her for everything that happened because if we didn't take it as far as we had, they wouldn't have been taking that trip in a first place; but I did move on past that." She decided to omit the fact that she still blamed Kaito for his forceful decision about the helipad. "What I didn't move past is the fact that Haru was there. I need time. You will give me time."

"Haruka-"

"Sora, if you still have any feelings for me whatsoever, you will give me time."

If Sora didn't know her better, he'd think she was pleading. Maybe she was because the woman in front of him was someone he had never seen before. Someone who buckled under the weight of a great loss, something he never expected to see. The act he saw in the past months was neither Haru nor Haruka. It was someone he didn't know. He was hoping that it would change, now that he knew the source of this strange behavior. He watched her closely. No, Haruka he knew was still there because the more he looked at her, the more he was sure that she wasn't pleading at all. She was telling him to do it, not asking if he would. Haruka he knew would never doubt his allegiance to her and this woman was not doubting it either.

"You can have all the time in the world, Haruka, but you are only making things worse," he said slowly, making sure that she caught on to every word, not just what she wanted to hear.

"Thank you." She was sincere. She knew he cared for her too much to betray her, but then again, she loved her twin and she did it to him… could she fully trust someone when she couldn't even trust herself anymore?

"Don't thank me, I'm not sure I'm doing you a favor." He got up as well. "Besides, you have things other than emotional disasters to worry about."

"Such as?" She folded her arms in front of her.

"Such as the fact that you are running a corporation pretending to be your brother. Legally, you're committing fraud, I'm not sure even Mizuki-san will be able to cover your ass."

"Don't worry, Sora. I didn't go to business school for nothing. There is no forgery, I haven't signed anything in the past two months. I made the board approve everything, except for the execution of the next phase of oRb which has my signature on it. Why do you think we have weekly board meetings? Because I'm masochistic?"

"Judging by your actions in the past year, that is a possibility." His mouth curved slightly at the corner. "Have you given any thought to what will happen to the company once you come clean?" Sora was still worried about any consequences she may suffer.

"I have." She locked her eyes with him. "Don't worry, I have that covered and we will deal with it when we get there."

"I still think that you just set another bomb that will explode in your hands, just like the last one ended up doing." He was referring to not coming clean about her feelings from the get go.

"So long as there is no physical explosion, I will deal with it. I don't know how to take things that hit the very core of my being otherwise."

She felt no need to hide anything from him anymore. Despite the fact that she wanted to distance their relationship at some point, she had no one else at the moment. Her brother was gone; her support system was gone with him. Michiru was obviously not ready to be that system, while Sora was. He was the only one that noticed. He was the only one that knew. She didn't blame Michiru for not knowing, it would be extremely hard and only someone who knew both twins intimately would be able to tell them apart. There were three people in the world who could do that, and two of them - their parents - were gone.

Haruka never thought that Sora would become her best friend, her confidant. Definitely not when she met him. Not even when she dated him. Not even when he tried to help with the whole wedding mess. But he was here now, when she most needed. He made her come out of the shell, admit to what happened. She would be grateful to him for life; she also hoped that she would never have to be that naked in front of him again. In the past few hours he had seen her fragile soul. Something she had only shown through music in the past. Even to her twin.

Haruka looked at the tall man and felt like he read all that in her eyes. She shivered from the revelation and turned away, putting all those layers back on, shielding herself from the ugly world.

"Princess…" He reached out for her, but knew that she was gone the minute she turned away. "Whatever you need, I will be there for you."

He turned her around and was met with the blank expression and cold eyes. They warmed up just a bit, to show him that she knew, that she appreciated it.

"Thank you."

He left the office, knowing that there wouldn't be any further discussion on the subject. Not tonight.

**X X X**

Haruka waited for the elevator to chime before she turned the lights off and exited her brother's office. She followed Sora's path and got in the executive elevator, descending to the penthouse. She opened the door and locked it behind herself. Walking into the open area, she threw the keys on the stainless steel counter and took her tie off. It was followed by the jacket, both thrown to the floor on her way to the bedroom. She pulled her shirt out of the pants and started unbuckling the belt, taking her shoes off with her feet at the same time. She opened the door to the bedroom and stopped in her tracks at the form of a sleeping woman in her bed. She looked at the neon clock that read 11:27. She didn't realize her conversation with Sora took that long. She sighed, turned around and picked up the suit jacket, putting it back on. She returned to the open door, walked to the bed and turned the lamp on.

The woman on the bed stirred at the sudden light, her relaxed features became rigid as she saw the blonde standing next to her, watching her intently.

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

A blonde brow went up to the forehead. "Since when do you wait for me in my bed, Michiru?"

"I was waiting for you in the living room, but I was uncomfortable, so I used the bed." Fiery sapphires stared at the cool emeralds as Michiru sat on the bed, bringing her legs to the side.

"Why are you waiting for me?" Haruka narrowed her eyes. "And how did you get in here?"

"I got here by using the key I found at the beach house. I'm here because we need to talk."

Great. That was all Haruka needed right now. Talk to Michiru after she poured her soul out to Sora. What the hell was going on? She preferred Michiru being mad at her or ignoring her, because then she didn't have to interact with the woman and could just concentrate on dealing with her internal problems. Or avoid dealing with them. She didn't like to be forced into conversations.

"What about?" she barked at the still sleepy, but annoyed woman in her bed.

"Haruka."

Haruka turned around sharply. Yes, talking about herself with Michiru was definitely a bad idea. It also bothered her that they were having this discussion in the same room where she saw Haru last. It was wrong on some level and she was irritated that Michiru came here. This was the last place twins kept to themselves.

"What is it about Haruka that is so important that you couldn't wait for me to get home and had to sneak in here?"

"I didn't sneak in anywhere, I just wasn't sure you would come home tonight and I needed to talk to you. I also wanted to go for a drive."

"Since when do you like driving?" That was truly surprising.

"Since you became a robot. Since the rush of playing the violin is not enough to channel my frustration and I have to find other sources of adrenalin."

The small hair stood up on the back of Haruka's neck. What did she mean by adrenalin rush from driving? Haruka knew how to get it, but she did so at the circuit… or weaving through traffic, but she knew how to do that; had years of practice doing so. In fact, she could remember the first time she swerved like that with Michiru in the passenger seat: aquanette's face was gray by the time they got to their destination. This wasn't right.

"Give me the keys."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me the keys to my car, Michiru." Haruka extended her hand impatiently.

"I didn' drive your car, so you can't take the keys away from me." Michiru raised her chin stubbornly.

"I beg you pardon?" Haruka bored her eyes into Michiru. "What did you drive then?"

"I drove Haruka's car."

_They are all my cars. Wait, what?_ The boring eyes intensified. "You drove the Veyron?"

"I did." Michiru smiled in satisfaction at the shock on the blonde face. What, he thought she couldn't handle the sporty car? Who does he take her for? A damsel?

"Michiru, give me the keys."

"Are we back to that?" The smug smile left her face.

"If you want to talk to me, give me the keys - I'm going to the beach house anyway."

"Forget about it!" She jumped off the bed, walking past the extended hand and out of the bedroom. She wasn't going to be ordered around by anyone, especially not her husband.

Haruka lost it. For the first time since the accident she actually lost her temper completely. She grabbed Michiru's hand and turned her around, pulling her close and reaching for her lips. A slap on the face prevented her from ever touching them.

"Don't you dare to ever do that again!" Michiru screamed.

Haruka turned back, her angry eyes locking with the sapphires as her hold on the arm intensified. Suddenly, the fiery expression in the blue eyes was replaced by pain and fear. Haruka realized that she was hurting the smaller woman, so she released her arm. The fear in those eyes concerned Haruka more than the driving she was worried about a minute ago. She didn't know where it came from and the intensity made her take a step back. Michiru used that opportunity to run past the blonde, throwing the key to the penthouse on the way out and disappearing behind a slammed door. Haruka stood there for what seemed like an eternity, sorting through the whirlwind of her feelings. It was the first time that her feelings for Michiru took over her pity for herself. Only to be replaced with outrage at how Michiru treated her twin.

**X X X**

Haruka checked that the door was locked, picked up the spare key from the floor, placing it next to her own, and continued on her previous task of removing clothes. Jacket, belt, pants, and socks flew off before she made it back to the bedroom. She unbuttoned her shirt as she walked in the bathroom. Taking it off, she looked at the reflection of her twin that became her own as she removed the tight bindings around her chest. She looked at the creases in her skin created by the folds and touched them gently. She went through this transformation every day: the bindings and his clothes would make her him. In her mind, to the rest of the world. She brought him back to life that way, even if he wasn't himself. Once she removed the clothes, she became herself. Only that herself was not her old self either. It was the woman who cried in Sora's lap, not the woman who let the past be the past years ago. She knew that she would be ready to deal with things when she removed the bindings and the reflection in the mirror was a strong woman that could handle anything. The one that had an "I" instead of a "we" in her as she looked back. Haruka honestly didn't know how long it would take to get there.

**X X X**

Michiru wiped her eyes, looking in the rear view mirror. She felt like she wasn't able to deal with things anymore. It was too much to bear. She needed Haruka back, she felt like she was breaking. That's why she came to the penthouse, hoping to reason with her husband, hoping that if he wasn't ready to have his twin back, that he would allow Michiru to go to her. To be with her. She needed her. Like a lifeline. Who was she kidding with those hopes? She looked in the mirror again, this time backing out of the parking spot.

**X X X**

Sora noticed the Veyron when he got out of the elevator. He knew for a fact that Haru, or rather Haruka, drove Spider, so he figured that the only other person to drive it would be Michiru. It was surprising to him because he never took her as someone who cared about cars or speed for that matter. Haruka - absolutely, Mizuki - definitely, Michiru - not at all. He mused on the subject as he got in his own black car and watched the parked yellow ones. After fifteen minutes of thinking he decided that the only explanation was that Michiru was trying to get as close to the blonde as she could, without having Haruka physically there. He snorted mentally at the irony of the situation, but nevertheless it made sense. There was no way for Michiru to know that Haruka was next to her this entire time, so she had to 'bring' her closer by being close to Haruka's things: her cars included.

Despite his reasonable explanation, he decided to wait for Michiru and make sure that she got home in one piece, checking her driving style just in case as well. He saw her get out of the elevator, crying, and almost got out of the car to console her, but held himself back, knowing that he wasn't ready to lie to her face. No, seeing her now he could break and tell her that the person that surely made her cry just now was the person she was so desperate to be with. That wouldn't do any good. So he waited patiently until she drove off, following her at a safe distance. To his surprise, she didn't drive home, taking a direction towards the Kaioh Mansion instead. She got there safe and sound and Sora passed the large gates, turning around at the next intersection and going back into the city, to his own home. He contemplated just letting Haruka second-guess her actions at Michiru's absence, but thought that the blonde had enough to deal with for one night, so he picked up his phone and dialed her number.

"_Sora."_

"Haruka."

"_Is this what you called to tell me?"_

"It will be all I tell you if you keep being mean to me." He decided to jab her just a little. He heard her sigh in return.

"_I'm sorry, it's been a long night."_

"I know… which is why I'm calling to tell you that Michiru drove to her parents' safely."

"_Thank you."_

He heard another sigh, this one in relief. "You are welcome. Get some sleep."

"Yeah, you too."

He disconnected from Haruka and dialed another number.

**X X X**

"Yes, I saw her pull up. I'm assuming she is in her room."

Nanami was wiping the paint off her hands, while holding the phone with her shoulder. She was working in her studio when the Veyron pulled up the driveway. She unmistakably guessed who the driver was, but decided to give her space. If Michiru needed to talk, she knew where to find her.

"I will talk to her in the morning, thanks for looking after her, Sora-chan."

She smiled into the receiver. "I love you too. Good night."

She waited for him to hang up the phone, letting it drop to a soft couch afterwards. Finally wiping her fingers somewhat clean, she looked at her new creation, semi-satisfied. She was too worried about her sister lately to do anything that pleased her entirely. Her paintings seemed dark and gloomy, so unlike her personality. She knew where all that was coming from, but couldn't shake it off. She sighed before removing the finished piece and placing it at the end of a row of canvases on the floor. She looked at the clock and contemplated starting another one; the time didn't matter, her sleep was completely gone.

**X X X**

It was past noon when Nanami opened the door to Michiru's room to find her sister still peacefully asleep on the large bed. She closed the door tightly, walked back to her own room and found her phone. She looked through the list of contacts before picking one and dialing the number. She took a small notepad and scribbled the name and the date she was given. Closing the phone, she looked at the pad in her hand for a while, before tearing off the top sheet and returning to Michiru's bedroom.

**X X X**

Nanami sat on the bed next to the sleeping form, using the headboard to support her back. She was looking at the aquanette for so long that she started to doze off, until a movement to her right woke her up. She looked at the refreshed face of her sister before whispering a good morning.

"What are you doing here?" Michiru asked, stretching.

"Waiting for you to wake up, what are you doing here?" Nanami answered lazily.

"I wanted some peace, so I came here."

"I see." Nanami looked at her closely before asking. "How long have you been sleeping on average?"

"What?" Michiru sat upright, moving herself closer to the headboard to match her sister's pose.

"How long have you been sleeping -"

"I heard you, I just don't understand where your question is coming from." She looked at Nanami.

Nanami pointed at the clock. "That's where it's coming from."

Michiru's eyebrows rose as she saw '1:38' on the digital screen. "I was tired, Nana-chan. I was exhausted from arguing with Haru and it was late when I got here."

"You got here at midnight, which isn't late for you." Nanami saw stubbornness enter her sister's face and decided to drop the subject. "Fine, don't worry about that." She reached for the piece of paper on the nightstand. "I want you to see a doctor, Michi."

"What?" Now she sounded shocked and offended at the same time.

Nanami passed the piece of paper to Michiru. "Take it, it's for tomorrow."

Michiru looked at the familiar scribble and laughed out loud. "You've got to be kidding me, right?"

Nanami looked at her, not a trace of humor in her face. "No, I'm absolutely serious. I will go with you if you want."

Michiru still looked incredulous. "Please, humor me. Otherwise I might just laugh my ass off at the office."

"How very feminine your language is these days, Michi. So like you, just like the inability to control your temper," Nanami said evenly.

The meaning behind the words finally reached Michiru, as her joking mood seized. "I would like you to come."

"So I will."

* * *

AN: Tiësto feat. Sneaky Sound System - "I Will Be Here" (Wolfgang Gartner Rmx) The lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from this song and do not belong to me.


	25. Duality

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Duality**

382.5 km/h.

Finally. She didn't realize how much she missed it until she felt the thrill of the speed again. It made her remember why she loved driving more than anything else. Why it made her high. The adrenalin rush; it was the best medicine for her. Haruka pressed her foot harder into the floor and felt the electricity shoot through her as she reached the top speed. She pulled into the pit in a few laps to refuel. Her mechanic was eagerly waiting; he had not seen her in a very long time.

"Good Morning Mademoiselle Teno'u."

"Morning Pierre." She graced him with a smile. "Fill her up."

"Oui, Mademoiselle."

Unbeknown to many, Haruka was a workaholic. She was also someone who worked hard and fast and expected the same from others; had no respect for those who couldn't catch up to her pace. When she met people who met her expectations, she generally kept them close. That was why she wanted Sora around. He had many talents, some of which she could use to the benefit of the company; others she could use for her own benefit. She hired Mizuki because she was the best at what she did. Pierre was another example of excellence. She came across him during her short visit to France when she ordered the Veyron. She had a brief conversation with the man that was enough for her to know that his work would be unprecedented, so she made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Besides, bringing him to Japan was cheaper than taking her car for service to France anyway. She had not regretted her decision yet.

She watched as he finished fueling the car and walked around, making sure that everything was in its place. He stopped by her window and she lowered it down.

"How long will you drive today?"

"Until I grow tired of it, why?"

"If you drive at top speed, I need to change your tires when you come back."

Haruka nodded at the mechanic. She liked his French accent, it was a lot heavier than her own; both of them were speaking English.

"Alright, Pierre, have them ready."

He smiled and patted the hood, stepping out of her way as she zoomed out of the pit. She enjoyed another eighteen minutes of ecstasy before pulling into the pit again. She got out of the car and watched him change the tires. She walked around the yellow and silver beauty as she waited, caressing the curvy shapes, feeling the burning heat of the metal. She missed her baby. She had been living her brother's life during the day, driving his car, riding his bike. Well, they were all her cars, but she had not driven Spider since she replaced it and it became Haru's car. It was no fun compared to this little devil.

Today, for the first time since the beginning of June, she was herself. She came to the tracks as herself, not bothering to pretend to be someone who had a very different driving style. She brought her car to give herself a chance to see if she could feel like herself. She could. When she was in the car, going top speed and the wind carried all of her other thoughts away. That feeling was gone as soon as she stepped out of the vehicle. She felt exposed to the world, an uncharacteristic feeling of uneasiness consumed her. Haruka pulled her hand away and got back inside. Yes, this was better. Almost peaceful. She waited for the sign before getting back on the track. Now, how many sets of tires could she afford to go through in one day? She smiled evilly at her own reflection and stepped on the gas pedal.

**X X X  
**

Michiru woke up late, yet again. It annoyed her and worried her at the same time, ever since the doctor's visit last week. She took a shower and walked downstairs, happy that there didn't seem to be any other signs of life in the house. She made herself a cup of tea and a toast; sat down at the dining table and enjoyed it in peace, watching seagulls circle over the ocean. When she was done, she decided to see how Nanami was doing with the setup for the opening, so she walked out of the house and into the garage, only to stop there, turn around and come back, smashing the door behind herself. She forgot that her husband took the liberty of taking the keys away from her after her little trip to the penthouse. In response for treating her like a child, she acted like a child. Right now, though, she was upset. Mostly at the fact that she forgot about having to call the driver. She did so and sat on a concrete slab outside, waiting for the car to come.

The car that pulled into the driveway ten minutes later was not the one she was waiting for. She watched as the Veyron slid past her and pulled into the garage, the door lowering in its wake. Haruka stepped out of the car and mentally patted herself on the shoulder for taking a shower and changing into a suit at the tracks. Her little visit into her own body was over, it was Haru's time. She walked out of the garage and looked at the woman on a slab. She looked miserable… and mad. An interesting combination. Haruka knew Michiru was mad at her because of the keys and probably thought that her husband suddenly turned chauvinistic, but the blonde was too worried that Michiru would do something silly, so she took the keys away.

"Hi," she greeted the figure dressed in a knit dark brown dress that didn't move or respond in any way. Haruka narrowed her eyes at the dress and stiletto shoes. "Aren't you hot?" It was August for goodness sake, why was she wearing a knit dress? Haruka herself was sweating in a suit. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" Michiru got up only to sit back down from lightheadedness. "I'm a twenty-three-year-old woman who is being treated like a child. How can I be okay?"

"Michiru, I'm not treating you like a child, I just want to make sure that you are alive and well."

"Since when does my wellbeing concern you?" Michiru snapped.

Haruka's unease came back to the surface. Of course she was worried about her wellbeing and so was Haru before… where did this snappiness come from?

"Since always."

"No shit."

Haruka had to do a double-take at that one. _Since when does Michiru swear?_ "Michiru, I have always -"

Michiru, who was fighting a nauseating spell just brought her hand up, silencing the blonde. "Please spare me… and leave me alone." She put her hand back down and hid her head in her knees. She didn't want her husband to see the worried expression on her face.

Haruka looked at her for a long moment; her hand was itching to reach out and caress the silky hair, tell Michiru that everything would be okay. She balled it into a fist and hid it in the pocket instead.

**X X X**

Michiru stepped out of the limo and entered the exhibition space at tRi. Now she was sweating. She had no idea why she wore this dress, why she felt so snug and comfortable in it just half an hour ago. She walked inside and searched for her sister.

Nanami was standing in the middle of a large white room, buckets of paint, clear plastic and people in white jumpsuits all around her. Michiru looked at all of them, standing as though they were frozen in time, before she cleared her throat and broke the spell.

"Ah, Michi, good timing. You have to help me decide which color goes on which wall." Nanami jumped up and down to emphasize her happiness.

"How many cups of coffee have you had already?" Michiru quizzed, taking a seat on one of the small step ladders.

"Four." Nanami replied shyly.

Michiru swallowed another nauseating feeling and looked at the watch. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. "Are you looking to get a heart attack or just want to be up all week?"

"Nah, just until the opening on Friday." Nanami smiled back. Her smile left her face as she noticed Michiru's tired features. "Have you heard back from the doctor?"

Michiru shook her head. "You'll be the first to know when I do."

Nanami nodded. This was not the time to point out that she was probably right in her guess. She didn't know the whole story and could only imagine what happened.

"So, what do you think?" Nanami changed the subject back to the original.

Michiru looked at the way the natural lighting played in the room and gave Nanami her thoughts. Twenty minutes later, after Nanami gave her helpers orders, they left for a nearby café.

"Inside or outside?" Nanami asked, looking pointedly at Michiru's outfit, but not commenting on it.

"Definitely inside."

They found an empty table and took a seat. Michiru ordered a cup of flower tea, Nanami looked at her sister and reluctantly did the same. She didn't want to hear anything more on the coffee subject. She could have another cup after Michiru left.

"So, what are the plans for Saturday?" Michiru leaned into her folded hands on top of the table.

Saturday was Nanami's birthday. She was turning twenty-two, which she considered a small event, so she didn't really care to plan anything.

"No plans." She smiled at Michiru. "I'm sure Sora will take me out somewhere, if he remembers my birthday, that is."

Michiru smiled back. "I doubt that that man can forget anything that has to do with you. He is absolutely bewildered."

Nanami's cheeks gained a little color. "Yes, I'm really lucky." She knew it was true, especially with everything Michiru had been through, so she never forgot to appreciate what she had.

"Are you excited about the exhibition?" Michiru asked as they got their teas.

"Sure." She didn't nearly sound excited.

Michiru raised an eyebrow in question.

"It's just that it's in the same spot, same place. I'm starting to feel bored. You know me."

Yes, Michiru knew Nanami, which is why she knew that Sora's present to her would be the second best she has ever gotten. The first, of course, was the Christmas present.

"I do. Perhaps you should look into going somewhere more exciting. Somewhere outside of your comfort zone."

"Like?" Nanami was interested in that line of thought.

"Not Japan, not Europe."

"Perhaps." A sparkle finally came back to the sapphires.

Michiru smiled into her cup before sipping on the warm liquid.

**X X X**

On Wednesday of that week Kaito decided to call an emergency board meeting; primarily to occupy himself with something. Ogawa, of course, used this god sent opportunity to bring up the subject of oRb, which somehow after all the discussions and Haruka's flat out statement that her approval was enough still bothered him. Haruka was sitting at the end of the table, annoyed at having to sit through another one of those meaningless meetings, annoyed at having to listen to Ogawa again, and annoyed at Kaito's presence. She constantly kept herself in check so that she wouldn't blow up in his face, once and for all revealing her rouse.

"I think Ogawa-san has a point Haru-chan. The first phase had a set plan and it was overseen by Haruka-chan herself. I think we need something concrete before we send our people out there."

Haruka took a moment to breathe before answering. "I have already sent our people out there. Both Endo-san and Hara-san left last week. They are working on setting up a similar framework that we've used previously."

"I'm not sure that's enough; there are many details, many things that can go wrong…"

_No shit Sherlock._ She stopped listening to his babble, it only made her madder. She assumed that it was her time to reply when he stopped moving his mouth.

"Kaioh-san, just like I have assured Ogawa-san on many previous occasions, which doesn't seem to reach his head, which in turn makes me question his presence here, I will personally keep an eye on the development and implementation of the next phase. We already know what we are doing, we have the designs, we have the specs. We just need someone there to start building. I'm confident that Hara-san will handle all of our contractors in a satisfactory manner, while Endo-san sets up a coordination system that will work for everyone involved. Both of them will be taking care of that project from here. Do you have any doubt in their abilities?"

Kaito shook his head, realizing that he was beating around a dead bush.

"Perfect, then can we please move on to something more meaningful, I hate it when my days go to waste." Haruka closed her eyes and wished she never left the track.

**X X X**

"I don't want to see anyone," Haruka threw at Haru's secretary before slamming the door shut.

She sat down behind the desk and rubbed her temples. Her headache was excruciating. The day was completely lost. She wanted to get out of there, but didn't know where else to go. Her thoughts were disturbed by the sound of a door opening.

"I said-" She saw Kaito walking in, Haru's secretary trailing behind him, looking apologetically at the young CEO. Haruka nodded to the secretary and she retreated, closing the door behind herself.

Kaito walked in and took a seat in front of Haru's desk. Haruka leaned back in her chair and gave him a blank stare, waiting for him to begin whatever it was he came there for.

"Haru, you and I have never had any problems before. We always seemed to see eye to eye." His voice was overly sweet.

_Seemed being the operative word,_ Haruka thought to herself.

"I understand that you are dealing with a great loss, so I will overlook your little outburst during the meeting today, but do not forget who you are talking to. I will not let you or anyone else call a meeting at my request a waste of a day." He had a small smile play on his lips. That smile did not reach his eyes.

Haruka narrowed her own at him, but held her tongue. Not yet. The time had not come yet. One day she would put him in his place, but not today.

"I called it what it was. I'm sorry that you felt different." She looked at him challengingly. Maybe she couldn't put him in his place, but she didn't have to take it from him either.

"Haru, you and your sister truly have your mother's temper and your father's arrogance." He stood up, looking at her with cold eyes. "I have dealt with your parents my whole business life and I loved them dearly. Do not misinterpret my patience with them as something that will translate on to you. You have to deserve it first. Something you are yet to do."

Haruka watched him leave, itching to tell him exactly where he could stick his patience. Her own ability to hold back astounded her. She closed her eyes, only to open them at the sound of the door opening - again. She steeled herself for another word battle before her vision concentrated on Sora's figure.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She dropped her hands, giving up.

He walked briskly and sat in the same chair Kaito occupied minutes ago.

"I need to ask you for a favor." He seemed hyped. Haruka decided that it was most likely a result of excitement, but had no idea as to its source.

"Okay… and you couldn't ask me over the phone? You had to leave the island to do this?"

"I did. I needed to run a few errands, I'll go back first thing tomorrow morning, I promise."

She looked at him for a while. "Alright, what is it that you want?"

"I want to borrow the corporate plane for the weekend." He was smiling like a kid.

"What for?" She had no idea what he was talking about.

"It's for a birthday present for Nana-chan. I need to fly her somewhere on Saturday, we'll be back Sunday night."

Haruka thought for a bit. Money wasn't an issue, she spent more on tires this morning than it would cost to fly the jet around the world and back, she was just trying to figure out what to ask in return. She assessed her options and came up with an idea. "You may borrow the jet on one condition."

Sora's smile widened. "Anything you want."

"You are going out drinking with me."

He looked at her in surprise. "When?"

"Now."

The smile returned to his face. He internally welcomed his friend back. He wasn't sure which one it was, but at least one of them was resurfacing, replacing the robotic stranger that occupied this body for two months.

"What are we waiting for then?"

**X X X**

Michiru hang up the phone and looked at the reflection in the mirror of her bedroom. Her pale face stared back at her in shock. She didn't know if she should laugh or cry. Be happy or sad. She wanted to call Nanami, just like she said she would but decided to wait until after her sister got back from the trip that weekend. She didn't want her to worry about anything… at least until Monday.

Michiru dropped the cellphone and slid to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and putting her chin on top. She was afraid. She had no idea where this would lead, but most outcomes scared her. She closed her eyes as silent tears spilled over and traveled down her white cheeks.

**X X X**

Sora looked at the little castle Haruka made out of the shot glasses and wondered for the umpteenth time if she was intending to go back to work that week. He was still trying to gauge who he was dealing with; it was like dealing with a person with a dual personality disorder. At any given point an alter ego may come up to the surface and join him. He knew that she pretended to be Haru and it was him he was dealing with every day, other than that conversation they had last week, but he felt like she was losing that control. Loosening the pretense. Haruka was starting to slip through the cracks more and more.

After all, that was how he figured her bluff in a first place. Yes, the piano was a huge giveaway, but there were other, finer details. Like when she flexed the hand that she broke. He knew she started doing that after her cast was removed, he was there, on the island, to see it. He knew she got bored at the board meetings. He knew that Nanami's nickname was only used by Haruka. He knew that Haruka threw her pen and pushed her chair backwards when she was mad but tried to control herself. Little things. Little giveaways that others didn't notice, but he knew to be characteristic of Haruka.

He wanted her to come out of it, more than anything else. So he sat there and watched her get wasted, hoping that it would loosen her up enough to start dealing with things, become who she really was, not who she tried to be. He searched for signs, but saw none. He wondered how deep that pretense was if she wasn't there even when she was drunk. The realization scared him.

"I should get you home," he finally said, trying to get rid of his last thought.

The blonde head nodded. He looked at the bartender and waited for the credit card. He took it back, reaching for her wallet and putting it in.

"Where do you want me to take you?"

"Penthouse. The only place I may sometimes be alone." She was slurring her words.

He nodded and helped her off the stool. That was when he realized that she could barely walk._ Definitely no work this week._ He circled her waist and helped her out to the car. Opening the passenger door, he eased her in and strapped the seatbelt. He closed the door and got behind the wheel. Haruka dozed off during the short drive and Sora found it impossible to wake her up when he parked in the garage. Sighing, he unbuckled the seatbelt and picked her up, carrying her to the elevator. He sat her on her feet by the door as he searched her pockets for the keys. She stirred at his touch and started giggling. Well, at least he knew Haru wouldn't giggle, that was somewhat of a relief. He opened the door and helped her in.

They made it to the bedroom, where he removed the coat of her jacket, holding her upright. He unbuttoned the shirt and saw the tight bindings. Under most other circumstances he would let her sleep dressed, but he decided to at least remove them, leaving the shirt on. He felt her wrap her hands around his neck as he unwrapped the material.

"You are so caring," she whispered in his ear, her words barely audible.

"And you are so drunk, you are hugging me," Sora joked even though he doubted she even heard him. His suspicion was confirmed as he felt her hands pull his head down and her lips cover his, asking for access. Yes, this was definitely Haruka.

The first thing that I do when I'm drunk is want to have sex Haruka. He felt her take advantage of his momentary hesitation and deepen the kiss; felt her naked chest against his shirt as he removed the bindings. He gathered all his might and pulled her off, setting her on her feet at a hand's distance. He pulled her shirt together and buttoned it up. There was a time when he would give anything for her to offer herself like that. That was before he knew her as well as he did now; before he cared as much as he did now. Before he fell in love with another woman. He watched her disappointed expression and curved his lips in a small smile.

"You will thank me tomorrow."

"Tell that to my body."

"Especially your body, love." He smiled fully before picking her up and dropping her on the bed, removing her shoes, belt and socks, and covering her with a blanket.

"Will you at least stay with me? I'm tired of being alone."

Sora stood still for a few moments before kicking off his shoes and taking off his jacket. He lay on the other side of the bed and wrapped his arm around Haruka's waist. She snuggled in closer, her body relaxing into his and her breathing steadying.

**X X X**

Haruka opened one eye and closed it back as excruciating pain shot through her temple. In the next instant she jumped off the bed and made it to the bathroom in record time. She didn't hear Sora come in and only saw him when she finally flushed and leaned her forehead on the cool porcelain bowl of the toilet. He quietly extended a hand holding a glass of cold water.

"Great, you held me crying in your lap, now you're bringing me water while I vomit. I just got to a whole new low in my own eyes."

"I'm just happy you're talking about your own pride."

She scowled at him before downing the water, only to throw it back up instantly.

"I'm gonna go get you something else." Sora grabbed the glass back before leaving the bathroom.

She didn't know how long he was gone for, all she knew was that vomiting was exhausting. She was sitting on her knees, her head on the cold tile of the wall. Sora walked in and extended her the glass again. This time the liquid was of a fuchsia color. She looked at him questioningly before taking the glass and looking at the swirls.

"Potassium permanganate," he said as though she should have known. "It will help you get rid of the toxins in your system, faster than you currently are."

She looked at it skeptically for another moment before gulping it down. "Tastes dull and flat." She grimaced, setting the glass on the floor.

"It's not about the taste, it's about the effect." Sora passed her a cold wet towel.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

He lowered himself to her level as she turned around and leaned against the wall.

"You should go back to bed."

"I'm not sure I can get up without vomiting yet." She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the cold towel. Once her body got cold from the towel and the tile she noticed something else. Her nipples were touching the soft material of the shirt.

"You took my bindings off?" She looked at him, trying desperately to remember and knowing that it was pointless.

"I did."

"Did I do anything…" She still remembered the note Mizuki left her last time she got drunk… which only made her wonder.

"No." He smiled at her evilly. "Although I do wish I was kissed like that every day."

The towel hit his forehead and he laughed. He watched as she got up and went back to the bed, covering herself fully under the blanket.

"Go away Sora, let me drown in my misery. By myself." She felt the weight of his body on the edge of the bed.

"No, love, you have done that enough. I don't want you to crawl back into your shell. I want you back." He stroked her head through the blanket.

Haruka grew still, listening to his words and feeling the friendly caress. Hot tears ran out of her eyes and into the pillow underneath. She didn't want him to see her cry again, so she just stayed like that until he thought she fell asleep and went to the living room.

**X X X**

Michiru had not seen her husband since she told him to leave her alone outside of the beach house, so at some point she started to wonder if he took it to heart. Having heavier things on her mind, she didn't bother to find out where he disappeared to, taking that time to be by herself.

She entered the exhibition space and looked through the crowd. It seemed like there were more people with every exhibit Nanami had; which was a good thing, but made the job of finding the artist harder. To her surprise, Michiru found her husband before anyone else. He grabbed two champagne glasses and headed in her direction.

"Good Evening." Haruka gave the beauty in navy blue dress her most charismatic smile.

"Evening," Michiru replied carefully.

"I wanted to apologize for my recent behavior and toast for a new beginning." Haruka extended Michiru one of the glasses. "Maybe we can be friends again?"

Michiru took the glass and stared at it for a long while. "We can try." She watched the blonde raise the glass. "I haven't had any food yet, would you mind if we save the toast for later?"

"Sure," Haruka replied, sipping out of her glass nevertheless. "Were you looking for your sister?"

Michiru nodded.

"Let me take you to her."

With another nod Michiru followed the blonde in search of the artist.

**X X X**

Nanami was beyond excited. She has never had a better weekend in her life. Sora blindfolded her early Saturday morning, taking the soft fabric off when they were aboard the plane. He wouldn't tell Nanami where they were going, no matter what she tried, so she eventually gave up. Hours later she found herself stepping off the plane in Rio De Janeiro. He took her to the Museum of Contemporary Art, they dined at one of the top Brazilian restaurants, and walked the streets of the city at night. At some point they stopped in front of a gallery as Nanami admired its architecture and location. That was when Sora pulled out a thin rectangular box with a bow at the top. Nanami opened it to reveal an advertisement of her exhibit at the gallery she was standing in front of in the middle of September.

She was ecstatic. The only downer of the whole weekend was having to come back home so soon, but Sora made a promise that they would stay longer when they came back for the exhibit. They made it back before midnight on Sunday, which made Nanami completely jet legged, but happy. She couldn't wait to tell Michiru everything. She watched as the familiar beach house appeared in front of the limo. Not waiting for the driver to open her door, she jumped out and rang the bell.

Michiru opened the door when Nanami's patience was about to run out. Nanami looked at her sister and her excitement died down like a flicker of fire under a pouring rain.

"You look terrible, what happened?"

Nanami looked at the sickly expression and dark circles under Michiru's eyes. The aquanette started to answer before she signaled Nanami to wait and ran for the bathroom on the side. Nanami locked the door and followed her in. She looked at Michiru in silence, holding the door frame for support.

Michiru finally straightened, flushed, and washed her face. She turned around and looked at her sister. "The doctor called."

Nanami didn't need to hear the rest, she got it as soon as Michiru opened the door.

"You were right, I'm pregnant."


	26. Closeted

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**Closeted**

It was a morning in the middle of the week. Michiru had a rehearsal at eight, so Haruka timed herself to leave the house for an early morning jog before the aquanette woke up and to return after she had left. Beads of sweat were rolling down her forehead as she approached the house, her breath almost unlabored, despite the fast run. Habitually, she kicked her sneakers into the corner of the terrace, walking up to the door. As her hand reached the doorknob, she turned around and picked them up, realizing once again that Haru was not behind her; that he wouldn't bring them in for her. She entered the house, put the sneakers where they belonged and walked upstairs to the master bedroom. She took a shower, dried herself off and grabbed clean underwear. Putting it on, she grabbed the bindings and walked up to the mirror. She looked at the toned feminine figure in the reflection, tracing the protrusions and indentations of her curves and her muscles with her eyes. She lowered the hand that held the bindings, her eyes halting at her chest as she traced the form of her breasts with the other. Prior to June she had only used bindings when she went to the office and 'substituted' for her brother. She didn't necessarily like it. She felt most comfortable when her skin was not overly exposed, so she wore pant suits most often, but her own ones were form-fitting; they never hid the fact that she was a woman. Haru's suits were more spacious, so she could mostly wear them without any restraints and pass as him, but not when too much was at stake.

She remembered the first time she put the bindings on in college. She did it to look exactly like him, thinking that that was what girls liked. He noticed.

_He walked up to her and opened the sports coat, staring at the flat chest. Then he raised his green eyes to her own and said in a soft voice that was trying to be stern:_

"_Ruka-chan, you should never try to be someone you're not. Love yourself for who you are. Love your body for what it is, because you are a beautiful woman. Someone who deserves you will see that whether you are wearing a brown sack that covers you chin to toe or a dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Always be yourself. If they don't accept you for who you are, they are not worthy of your company."_

_When he let her go, she took off the bindings and reserved them for special occasions that required masquerading as Haru._

Haruka shook her head and returned to the present. How ironic that this memory of Haru's disapproval came when she was dressing to become him. She could still hear his words in her head, they made her shiver. She looked back at the woman in the mirror. That blonde was wearing nothing but briefs and holding bindings in her hand.

"Who are you?"

Haruka didn't know anymore and for the first time it scared her. When she pretended to be her brother, it was like she let her brother's personality borrow her body; so intense was the state she entered when she tried to assume his identity. At other times her own mind would take control of her body and do things subconsciously. Things she didn't even realize she did, but apparently it happened enough to let Sora figure her out. Last week at the penthouse she was herself. Haru left the office, but Haruka picked up the first shot at the bar. She felt like she was losing control; she could no longer draw a bright line that would separate herself from Haru. The mix of the two was something she didn't know; it wasn't her intent to become that way either. She didn't know who was looking at her from the mirror.

She finally raised her hand and reluctantly put the bindings on, followed by one of her brother's suits. She was confused and tormented by this discovery. As a result, instead of going to the office, she went downstairs and opened the piano keys.

**X X X  
**

Michiru left for her regular rehearsal. She got as far as the studio before she had to run to the bathroom and empty the contents of her stomach. She hated this. She was mad at the father of her child for making her go through this, in addition to all the other things he put her through. She didn't have any remorse about her unfaithfulness to him any longer, she didn't have energy to concentrate on anything other than the morning sickness and her constant fatigue. She was absolutely drained after she exited the bathroom, so she cancelled her rehearsal and asked the driver to take her back home.

She entered the house and stopped in her tracks, just like she did earlier in the summer. The sound of piano filled the house once again, only this time the music was very different. There was no love, no smiling, no childish innocence. Instead, there was a cry of a tormented soul, guilt, anger, frustration, confusion. It was all raw, piercing, chilling to the bone. Michiru furrowed her eyebrows, trying to figure out what the source of those feelings was and failing miserably. Not having any energy and no longer caring, she closed the door, kicked off her shoes and went straight to the living room, falling into the sofa, landing on her back and closing her eyes.

**X X X**

Haruka froze at the unexpected appearance. This appearance was uninvited because it just broke her soul-searching, a moment between herself and the instrument that served as a transmitter of her emotions to the world. She didn't particularly want to transmit those emotions for Michiru. At least not yet, not before she came clean. She turned around and faced the still figure on the sofa.

"What are you doing here, don't you have a practice?"

"I cancelled it. Don't worry, you can just pretend I'm not here like you are pretending that you're not playing." Michiru didn't bother to open her eyes. She wanted to go upstairs where she was closer to a bathroom, but wasn't sure she could make it there yet. She needed a little rest.

"Are you okay?" Haruka's concern seeped through, despite her attempt to sound normal.

"I'm fine."

She didn't look fine. She looked sick and miserable, like last week when Haruka found her sitting outside. A tiny seed of fear at what was going on with Michiru planted itself deep inside Haruka's being, next to all the other feelings she was hiding. She kept looking at the form that seemed very tense. Something made her hands move before her brain reacted, by the time she realized that she was playing a melody she used to play to Haru when he was stressed, she had nothing to lose, so she just kept on going.

Michiru felt the soft melody reach her senses. It was tantalizingly soothing. Nothing like the outpouring of emotions she witnessed on previous occasions. It was meant to heal, help relax. She felt her body do so, despite her mind being hard at work. Her mind was speculating on why the blonde didn't want to acknowledge the fact that he played. His skills were amazing; he could easily be a musician and have as many fans as Michiru herself did. Yet, he tried to hide it from her and didn't allow anyone else to know about it, judging from Sora's reaction. She didn't find a pleasing explanation and soon her mind caught up to her body and she drifted off to sleep.

**X X X**

She woke up in complete silence. A small pillow was placed under her head, a soft throw covered her lower body. She was surprised at the caring touch, although it would have probably been normal before June. She contemplated going upstairs, but then she turned around and looked out at the view behind the pane of the glass. It was much better from down here than her bedroom, so she made herself comfortable in this new position and watched the raindrops trickle down the length of the wall.

**X X X**

Haruka was sitting behind the wheel of the Spider in the parking space underneath Kaioh-Tenoh Corp's headquarters. Her forehead was touching the black leather of the steering wheel, while her hands rested on her lap. This whole day had been weird. First was her realization by the mirror, then her attempt at soul-searching, then Michiru… she was worried about Michiru, she wasn't sure what was going on. At the same time, she was shaken by her own actions; she never played for anyone other than her twin and Sora before. There were others who have heard her play, certainly, but she wrote that song for Haru. She never played it to anyone else before. She felt strange.

The last thing she wanted to do was go to work, so she kept sitting in the car, just thinking, trying to sort through her feelings. Eventually she realized that there was no relief from just sitting there, so she started the car again and decided to ditch work that day altogether. She pulled out of the garage and drove to where her heart wanted her to be at the moment, making only one stop on the way.

**X X X**

She walked down the narrow path as the first drops of rain reached her. She didn't notice. Stepping under the cherry blossom tree, she knelt on the edge of the marble slab and put white lilies down. She didn't trace the kanji letters like she did last time. She didn't come to visit them. She came to visit the one whose name wasn't there.

"I miss you." Tears spilled out of her eyes, mixing with the rain. "I miss you so much." She rocked on her knees slightly. "I wish you were here, I wish you were with me. I would do anything to have you back. The real you."

She couldn't tell when her tears stopped because the rain still wet her cheeks. She came out of her trance when she felt that she was frozen to the bone, her thoroughly wet clothes no longer doing any good. She got up and walked slowly back to the car, dragging her feet. She got in, not caring about her surroundings that got soaked from the water dripping down her form. She was sitting in a wet puddle, but that didn't bother her either. Haruka reluctantly drove back to the beach house. She had been driving on autopilot, a rare occurrence for someone who thrived from speed. Her first coherent thought formulated in her brain when she found herself standing in front of the door… perhaps waiting for it to open on its own. When that didn't happen she reached in her soaked pocked and pulled out the key. Not bothering to remove the shoes, she went straight upstairs, her eyes on her feet. She entered the master bedroom and came back to the dreadful mirror.

Looking back at her was a miserable being. The black suit was clinging to her frame, her hair still dripping water down the sides of her face. Her shoulders were slouched, her lower lip quivering. Her green eyes were as light as they had ever been, as though the tears washed some of the color out. Those green eyes were empty, just like her soul. There was nothing left. Haru was gone. From the world… forever… there was no more reason to pretend that he was still around. Haruka looked at the reflection that was somehow different from that morning. She was miserable and empty from her loss, but she was looking at herself. There was no one else there.

**X X X**

Michiru woke up when the front door closed; she raised her head but was unnoticed by the transfixed blonde. Sapphires grew wide at the walking rain man; Michiru completely at a loss of words. She kept staring at the empty stairs after the figure disappeared, wondering what this strange day meant.

**X X X**

Both residents of the house went to bed very early that night, each buckling under the weight of her own problems.

Haruka woke up extra early the next day, having slept for longer than she had in years. Laying in the darkness of her brother's bedroom she pondered, for the first time, what would happen next. She was in no way over the loss of her family, she wasn't sure she would ever get over that. However, she was ready to start dealing with things. Baby steps. She needed to take baby steps. For the first time her decision scared her. She remembered Sora's words and knew he was right. How was she going to reveal the truth to the world? How would the world react? More importantly, how was she going to tell Michiru and what would that do to her? That was definitely not a baby step. That was a giant step she wasn't ready for.

Haruka contemplated pretending that she returned from her banishment, while Haru left… but that would involve a lot of explanations and only make the web of lies wider. That wasn't a solution. She had to come clean, she just didn't know how. Baby steps.

Her mind kept trying to work on a solution until it registered that Michiru got up. Haruka looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was past 8 AM. She threw the covers aside and ran to the shower.

**X X X**

She made it to work in record time, entering her brother's office just after nine. As soon as she sat down his secretary came in with messages from the previous day, most of them were left by Sora. Haruka just finished sorting them out when she heard a soft knock on the door. The man of twelve messages came in, a platinum blonde in his tow.

"Thank god, I thought -" He looked at Mizuki and decided to leave that particular conversation until after she left. "I left you messages, you never responded."

Haruka picked the largest pile of pink notes from her desk and showed them to her visitors. "I noticed." She threw them back on the desk and leaned into the chair. "What's so urgent?" She looked at them standing on the other side of the table. "Don't tower over me."

Both Sora and Mizuki sat down across from her.

"Everything is in place, we just need the official go ahead from you," Mizuki explained.

"You called me twelve times to let me know that?" Haruka stared at Sora in disbelief.

Sora didn't want to admit that he was worried because she wasn't in the office and didn't answer her cell, so he felt rather silly. "Um… I thought you would be pleased?"

"I am." She gave him a long look. "You have my go ahead, please push the start button, Hara-san."

Mizuki looked at her boss strangely before nodding and exiting the office. Sora was looking at her as well, finally allowing concern to enter his features.

"I was worried," he confessed.

Haruka contemplated just avoiding the subject, but then decided that he deserved better. "I took the day off. I needed time to say goodbye to Haru."

Sora's features stilled until his lips curved into a smile. Haruka was back.

**X X X**

Haruka came home midday on Friday. Kaito kept putting his nose in all the new projects and she was trying to avoid him as much as she could. When that became impossible at the office, she gave up and left. Michiru wasn't home, so Haruka took some time to walk around, as though she had not been to the beach house for a while. Well, technically she had not been there for a while as herself. Almost three months to be exact.

She stopped in front of her room. It hasn't been used in all this time, at least not by her, she didn't know if Michiru went there. Her hand reached the knob and she turned it slowly, stepping inside and closing the door behind herself. She took in the view. It was just the way she left it; to think of it, she didn't know why it would be any different. She walked to her closet and got inside, flipping the lights on. She looked at the rows of clothing before walking up and letting her hand touch the familiar fabrics. Her suits. Her dresses and other outfits. She looked to the right: her shoes. Surprisingly, she felt longing creep up inside. Since when did she become that materialistic? She looked at herself in the mirror. No, not materialistic. She was just missing herself. Being herself. Being with them. Being with him. She slid down to the floor and stared into space, memories flooding her vision.

"_I would never have thought you to be so in tune with fashion, Haruka-san." _

"_My Armani suits were not indication enough?"_

"_Your Armani suits are boring. This… on the other hand is very fun. You should wear skirts more often."_

"_Michiru-san, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you are actually enjoying the sight of my legs…"_

That was random. It had nothing to do with her parents or her brother. Why did it come to her? Haruka's eyes found the Balenciaga outfit, followed by the tall boots, followed by the black piece of cloth and white shirt - the outfit she was wearing when they met. Michiru. She missed her. She was right there, but so far away. Haruka hadn't seen her smile, hadn't seen passion in those blue eyes since she left her on the island. She missed those emotions, missed her Michiru. Was she still her Michiru? Would she be when Haruka came clean?

Haruka shook her thoughts off and got up. Turning the light off, she left the closet, exited the bedroom and… ran into the woman she was just thinking about.

"Haruka?"

A shiver ran down Haruka's spine. She looked into those beautiful sapphires, drowning in them, bathing herself in the light of hope they projected. She opened her mouth, her mind racing, her right hand flexing. This was a perfect opportunity. Just tell her the truth, come clean, pray for a chance to love her again, to deserve her again. Right here, right now… Baby steps. She closed her mouth and just kept standing, frozen.

**X X X**

Michiru kept looking at the silent blonde, realizing that it was the same person she'd been dealing with for the past three months. A deep sigh of disappointment escaped her as she turned and walked into her bedroom, grabbing the purse she forgot on her way out earlier. She came out of the room moments later, brushing past the blonde on her way out of the house.

Haruka just stood there, listening to the descending steps, to the door closing, to the limo pulling away, taking her chance with it. Taking her love with it. She turned around and went back into the closet. She never came out of it, after all. In so many ways.

**X X X**

Nanami was holding her sister's cold, sweaty hand. Both were looking ahead of where the limo was going.

"Why are you nervous?" Nanami finally asked.

Michiru looked at her like she had two heads. "You are kidding, right?"

Nanami wasn't really. There were many reasons why Michiru could be concerned, she didn't know which one bothered her at the moment.

After a short silence Michiru decided to answer the original question. "I think because this will make it real, official."

"The confirmation from the doctor and your physical and emotional state are not real enough for you?" Nanami raised a brow.

"For me… but I feel like I will actually have to deal with it once I visit the doctor… I don't know what you're supposed to do when you are pregnant… take vitamins? tell your family? tell the father?" She shivered at the last one.

"What happened, Michi?" Nanami gathered all her courage to ask.

Michiru turned to face her for a while before assuming her previous position.

_Okay… that explained everything_, Nanami sighed inwardly.

"Is Haru-san the father?" You never know… especially with this screwed up family.

Michiru faced her again, this time annoyed. "Of course he is the father, who else would it be? I sure as hell know Haruka didn't get me pregnant."

Obviously. That still didn't clear anything up for the brunette. It didn't make sense.

"Then how -"

"Nanami, I really don't want to talk about it. Not now. Not later. Not ever."

Her words did sound very final. Nanami lowered her eyes to the floor and spent the rest of the ride in silence.

**X X X**

"Well, from what I can tell you are about 12 weeks along, which puts your due date somewhere in February." The doctor smiled at her patient.

Nanami, sitting in a chair next to the wall, mentally counted the weeks back. That placed them around… the time of the opening… The image of her sister rocking in a bathtub came to mind as Nanami felt a chill shoot through her spine. She hid her suspicions deep inside and concentrated on what the middle-aged woman in a white robe was saying.

"Do you still have nausea and extreme tiredness?"

Michiru nodded.

"That should get better by the end of this week if my calculations are correct."

Michiru knew they were. Knew the exact date of conception; there could be no other.

"You are still not showing any signs on the outside." The doctor gestured to the taut stomach under the scope. "Would you like to see what is going on on the inside?"

Michiru looked at Nanami before turning back to the doctor and licking her dry lips. She gathered her courage and nodded. The woman turned the screen with the ultrasound image to face Michiru. The angle at which she was looking inside herself showed… a tiny human being. She was shocked at how she could see the shape of a baby when her stomach was barely any different from what it used to be.

Nanami got up from the chair and came closer, taking Michiru's hand and looking at the image with the same expression as her sister. They have never connected as much as they had in that moment. It felt magical. Michiru felt all her anger and annoyance go away as she stared at the image. She looked at the smiling older woman, tears welling in the corners of her sapphire eyes.

"Wait, this isn't all." The doctor's smile widened as she moved the scope to the other side of Michiru's stomach.

Losing the previous perfect view, neither sister knew what she was looking at anymore. The doctor sensed their confusion and pointed at the screen.

"This is the baby you just saw, it is best positioned for picture taking, so to speak." She traced another shape on the screen. "This is the second one." She looked back at her patient, whose mouth was agape. "You are having twins, Kaioh-san."


	27. Anniversary

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 26**

**Anniversary**

Blue eyes opened wide from the dream Michiru was having. She sat up in the bed, shaking the still vivid memories and images off. She felt rested and full of energy.

_What a nightmare_, she thought to herself as she got off the bed and skipped into the bathroom. She took her nightgown off and turned the water on. Turning around, she caught her reflection in the mirror and froze.

It wasn't a nightmare. It was her reality. She could almost forget that she was pregnant - the second trimester welcomed her with a relief from the morning sickness and fatigue she had been fighting with up to that point. For the past week, however, she felt almost normal, with the exception of expanding with a speed of lightening. She turned sideways and put her hands on what used to be a flat stomach just a week ago. It was surprising and terrifying at the same time. Mostly she could describe everything she had been going through as surprising and terrifying nowadays. Every little thing she learned or experienced about the pregnancy made her surprised; those same things made her terrified.

She didn't really gain much weight, she just over exaggerated a lot, in Nanami's words. She could no longer wear most of her dresses, though, as they would cause those around her to ask questions. So she borrowed some of Nanami's tunics, separated her own closet into "maybes" and "definite nos," and pondered on how to tell the obvious to her family. And her husband.

She decided that she would tell her family first. They needed a good news and this would definitely be taken as such. She herself started to think of the pregnancy as something magical and definitely positive, since she never actually thought about it before and didn't know how the logistics of same-sex couples and children worked. Now she didn't have to worry about that. The circumstances of her getting pregnant were locked away deep inside, in a place she didn't intend to visit herself or let anybody in.

Michiru asked Nanami to organize a family dinner for this Saturday night, where she would share her secret with them. After all was set and done, she realized that, ironically, as life always has it, the day she picked was the same day her parents told her she was to be married last year. Little did she know a year ago where she would be today. If she did, perhaps she would have made the outcome of that dinner quite different. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

**X X X  
**

Haruka has been gradually accepting the fact that she was the only Tenoh left in the world. At least the only Tenoh in her line, she didn't know if there were others. Last Friday was the first time she visited a nightclub since June. She went by herself, sat at the bar and had one drink, watching the moving figures on the dance floor. Watching the lights reflect in the disco ball suspended from the high ceiling. She celebrated the day she met Michiru. It was pathetic, but she was sort of reliving that event. She went back to the same hotel room where they spent the night, went to the same café her brother met her the following morning. After having three cups of espressos and knowing that none if it was real, she went to the circuit and spent the rest of the day driving.

Today was different. It was still reminiscent of the past, but she knew the difference clearly and didn't attempt to hide from it. The Spider rolled down the black pavement of the curvy driveway, halting in front of the closed garage door. Haruka got out of the car and pulled out a set of keys from her pocket, searching for the right one. Finally locating it, she slid it into the key hole, opened the door and disarmed the security system.

The air was stuffy, speckles of dust were slowly flowing in the air, lit up by the sunlight coming through the window. The furniture was covered with white heavy canvases, everything in the same place they left it. Haruka dismissed the staff that worked at the Tenoh Estate the week of the accident, no one had been there since. She walked past the entrance and walked aimlessly through the large ghostly house. What was she supposed to do with all of this? She couldn't sell it. Never. There were too many memories encased in these walls, mostly good ones. Memories of her childhood, her youth, even adulthood.

She walked to the music room and dusted off the grand piano. Now she had all the time in the world. She could play as long as she wanted and no one, not a living soul, would disturb her. Haruka sat down and let her pianist fingers touch the white and black keys lovingly.

**X X X**

Haruka finally left the estate in the afternoon, having played for hours and finally getting hungry. She drove to a nearby café, deciding to grab something light and inquire into Michiru's dinner plans later. She had to start somewhere, perhaps getting on good terms with Michiru as Haru would be a good step before revealing the truth. She ordered a coffee and a pastry at the counter and looked around for an empty table. What jumped at her instead of a vacant table was a dark-haired man, sprawled in a chair by the window. He was wearing one of his trademark tight printed shirts, a pair of jeans and black dress shoes. He held a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone, which he was using as a source of entertainment at the moment, in the other. Haruka got her number from the cashier and approached him.

"Your clothes make you look gay."

Sora looked at her, startled, before putting his iPhone down and smiling confidently. "Says the gay girl to a straight man."

"Well, at least I don't seem to confuse anyone about my orientation, not in these. Your clothes, on the other hand, leave nothing to the imagination." She sat down in the empty chair across from him. It wasn't really true, but the habit of over exaggeration was something Haruka would never get rid of.

He raised a black eyebrow at her. "Didn't realize you were appreciating my body through my clothing so much."

"I'm not, I'm just stating the obvious."

"Well, not all of us hate their own body so much that they cover it up in any way possible."

"Ouch." It hit home. "I don't hate my body. You know that."

"I used to know that, there are many things I don't know anymore." He looked at the waitress that brought Haruka's order before returning his eyes to the blonde. He was happy that they were having this strange discussion. As strange as it may have been, it had some resemblance to the normal conversations they used to have before the accident.

She sighed, losing interest in the stupid conversation she herself started. "Wanna go for a run some time together?"

"Sure." He knew she ran every day, so did he. Sora also assumed that she felt the loss of her brother every time she did so now because he used to be her running companion. It honored him to a degree that she asked.

They both drank their coffees in comfortable silence before Haruka realized that she had no idea why Sora was sitting there by himself. She sort of remembered that this café was in a close vicinity to where he lived, but it was a Saturday afternoon, why was he here alone?

"Why are you here?"

"Excuse me?" He came out of his reverie.

"Why aren't you with Nanami-san?"

"Oh." Sora grimaced. "They have some sort of a family dinner tonight. I'm not family."

"I am." Haruka looked at him strangely. How come she wasn't invited to a family dinner? Especially when she was the one dealing with a loss - it was simply rude and inconsiderate.

"Do you know where they are having dinner?"

"Why?" He looked at her suspiciously.

"I'm family. I should've been invited."

Sora didn't feel good about that statement. "You've never been close to the Kaiohs. Kaito-san makes you mad, you disregard Miho-san, Nana-chan annoys you, and you are avoiding Michiru-san. Name one good reason why I should tell you where they are and let you crash their dinner?"

Haruka looked at him challengingly. "Because you love me?"

"No offense, princess, but I love Nana-chan more and she will kill me if I do so." His chin moved upwards, indicating that he was intending to be stubborn.

"I was there first," Haruka, not wanting to relent either, at least for the thrill of arguing, continued.

"You are different."

That wasn't really a valid argument, but she understood the meaning. Sora could be as stubborn as the twins if he wanted to, she knew that from years of experience. So, she decided to hit low.

"I don't have anyone else left."

Sora squinted his eyes, showing that he knew exactly what game she was playing and that it was extremely low.

"They will dine at the Kaioh Manor at six. If you do anything, and I mean anything that puts me in a position to regret that I told you this, I will tell Michiru who you are."

Yes, payback was a bitch. She hit low, he hit lower. They locked eyes for a long moment before Haruka nodded and returned to her coffee.

**X X X**

Michiru was growing more and more nervous as the day progressed, so by the time she was dressed and ready to go to her family's manor, she was a wreck. She was initially intending to drop the bomb in the middle of dinner, like her father did so nicely a year ago, but then realized that she wouldn't be able to eat until it was out. As a result, she decided to come earlier and share the news before they got to the table.

She was let in by the butler and was relieved to see Nanami waiting for her by the sectional. It took the brunette one look to assess her sister's state and she picked up the glass sitting on the coffee table.

"Come here, sit down."

Michiru followed the order and sat by where Nanami was standing. The brunette extended a glass. "Drink this."

Michiru looked at the amber liquid and then back at Nanami. "I can't have alcohol."

"I know silly, it's not alcohol, it's valerian root." Nanami had picked up a lot of Sora's remedies in the past year, so she was prepared for Michiru's appearance.

Michiru nodded and drank the liquid, grimacing at the taste. "This is horrible."

"Really? I kind of like it," Nanami admitted. "Don't worry, it will be fine. What's the worst that's gonna happen?"

_Really, the worst has already happened_, Michiru thought to herself, but it did nothing to make her hands stop shaking. "Where are mom and dad?"

"They are still getting ready, I didn't tell them that you'd get here early." Nanami sat down next to her sister.

"Why?"

"Because you needed time to digest this and at least semi-relax."

"I don't think I can do that," Michiru confessed.

"Just give it a little time." Nanami hugged her by the waist.

Their parents came down twenty-five minutes later and, to her surprise, Michiru did feel better at that point. She greeted her parents, who took seats across from their children, and they enjoyed a general light conversation. Finally Michiru felt like those conversations were becoming a torture, so she gathered her strength and decided to bring the subject up.

"There is something I need to tell you."

She was very serious, both the expression and her stance. Kaito and Miho grew worried, each going through a list of things that could be wrong in their heads. It was obvious that the tragedy affected everyone, and they were afraid that it finally caused the unstable marriage to collapse. Kaito had witnessed Haru's robotic, then simply strange behavior over the past few months and was wondering what effect it had on his daughter. Miho didn't get out and about much since the accident, but she did notice Michiru staying at the Mansion on few occasions. It worried her, but she didn't know how to breach the subject. As a result, neither of them knew what was going on, but hoped that it was something that could be fixed.

"Go on, sweetie," Miho encouraged her daughter.

"You will be grandparents around February," she blurted it out in one fast breath, holding it for their reaction afterwards.

Both her parents just kept staring at her, not a sign of comprehension in their faces.

"I beg you pardon?" Kaito finally forced, coming out of his stupor.

"She's pregnant." Nanami smiled, unable to hold it in anymore.

Michiru watched as emotions paraded through her parents' faces. Their worry and concern were replaced by utter joy - an emotion she hadn't seen in a very long time, perhaps since before they moved back to Japan. Suddenly her mother jumped off the couch and ran to embrace her. Her father followed suit. Nanami decided to join the bunch just for the heck of it. Kaito and Miho kept interrupting each other, expressing their happiness to an overwhelmed Michiru. It got to a point when she could no longer understand what each of them was saying.

"Awww… how sweet, just like a happy family should be."

Michiru froze at the familiar voice. She could swear she detected vile in that statement. Her blood family finally separated itself from her and she faced the blonde, standing halfway between the center of the room and the entrance hall. The rest of that scene happened in slow motion for Michiru. Before she could so much as move, she saw her father approach the blonde in a few long strides, bear-hugging him in a tight embrace.

"Haru-chan, why didn't you tell me? Oh, it's all right, I understand. I'm so happy for you two, congratulations!" He patted the blonde on the back.

"For?" Haruka forced out, shocked and nauseated by the man's closeness.

Kaito looked at her, bewildered. "For being a future father, of course!"

Michiru saw the green eyes almost fall out of their orbits, felt them dash to her, saw so many more emotions in them than she had on her parents' faces few minutes earlier. Different emotions. Surprise, shock, disbelief, fear, disgust. They were right there in the open. For a whole of a second, but she caught them. Caught them right before the blonde separated from Kaito, turned around and left without a word, without another glance. How could he be disgusted? It was the only coherent thought left in Michiru's mind as the time finally seemed to catch on with reality and the images started to move at a normal pace.

"What was that all about?" Miho asked, shocked by the reaction.

"He's still dealing with a lot, I'm sure it's just overbearing," Nanami said quickly, biting on her lower lip afterwards and sending her sister a reassuring glance.

"Should we celebrate the news with a hearty dinner then?" Kaito smiled at his women.

**X X X**

Michiru ate the food, but didn't register any taste. Haru's reaction bothered her a great deal. On one hand she was mad at what she saw in his eyes and at his leaving, on the other hand, she was afraid to think of where this new development left them. Her chance of happiness with Haruka just seemed to decrease exponentially. Michiru doubted that Haru would ever let her go after she gave birth to his children. What was she supposed to do? She didn't want him to find out like this, but that was why he wasn't invited. What was he doing here in a first place?

Her mind kept jumping from place to place, so much so that she didn't notice as her parents gave up on trying to get her attention, didn't notice how they finished the dinner. She came out of her state of trance when Nanami gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"Would you like to stay here tonight?"

She would, but she didn't want to make things worse than they already were, if that was even possible. She might as well finish this once and for all. Confront Haru and put this day behind herself. She shook her head.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Michiru smiled gratefully and shook her head again. "I'll be fine. Thank you though."

She bid farewell to her family and went to the place she's been calling home for almost a year.

**X X X**

Going to the Kaioh Manor was definitely a bad, bad idea. She should really start listening to Sora, he seemed to be right about almost everything. She looked at a man staring at her from behind the wheel of his car, to her right.

_What do you want?_ She gave him a look that made him turn away and pushed the pedal to the floor as soon as the light turned green. She sped through the busy streets, swerving in the tight spaces between other cars and cursing at the slow drivers. Most of those drivers, however, did steer to the side as they noticed a yellow car approaching at a dangerous speed from behind, loud music making their own cars vibrate as the sports car passed them by. She managed to get home without accidents or encounters with the police. She parked the car and went inside, heading straight for the bar in the living room. She downed a glass of sake before she allowed herself to even start to comprehend what just happened.

First, she felt shaken by the picture of the hugging family. She didn't know why they were embracing each other, but the display of affection made her feel her own loneliness tenfold. Worse, it was the family that was responsible for everything that happened during the past year. If Haruka didn't know the Kaioh family, her own family would still be around. She couldn't restrain herself and dropped that vile comment.

What she definitely didn't expect was Kaito's embrace and sweetness. What came out of his mouth, though, trumped everything else she felt that day. The shock she had experienced was second to only the one she got when she turned the TV on that horrible morning. What did they mean Michiru was pregnant? How was that even possible? Did Michiru swing both ways? Didn't they establish that that was not the case and that she would never be happy with Haru as a result?

Also, she didn't show any signs of pregnancy. Well, there was something wrong with her, Haruka noticed that, but she didn't see any physical change. Aren't pregnant women supposed to show? How pregnant exactly was she? Because Haru died three months ago. What the hell happened? Haruka turned around as the front door opened and closed. She saw Michiru walk in, take her shoes off and come closer, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

"You are pregnant?" Haruka decided to cut to the chase.

Michiru nodded.

"How?" Haruka sat the empty glass down and walked to stand next to the sitting woman.

"Excuse me?" Michiru looked at her husband in disbelief.

"How can you be pregnant, Michiru?" Haruka heard her own voice rise, despite her intention of just finding out what happened like any reasonable person would, controlling her temper.

Michiru looked at the blonde with wide eyes that turned into angry slits. She really didn't want to go there. She was hoping to keep what happened inside and never revisit it, but apparently that was not an option with a thick-sculled husband. She stood up and answered in a steely voice.

"Maybe you should have thought about the possible consequences to your actions before you forced yourself on me, taking any respect I have ever had for you along with my dignity from me!"


	28. Out

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

NOTE: This chapter is RATED **"M"** for content and coarse language.

* * *

**Chapter 27**

**Out**

_3 months ago  
June 2, oRb_

Michiru returned to her suite, dropped the pieces of torn clothing - the only evidence of her and Haruka's passionate lovemaking - in the trash can and went into the shower. She was drying her hair when a door to her suite opened and her husband appeared in the bathroom door opening. Michiru turned the fan off and looked at him carefully. His face was void of any emotions, his eyes unreadable.

"I thought I locked the door." She put the hairdryer on the corian counter and turned to face him fully, supporting herself with both arms on the sides.

"Well, that's the benefit of owning the place - you can always get a key, no questions asked."

Michiru shivered at the thought. It just wasn't right. "What are you doing here?"

Haru walked closer to her and stood just a foot away. "I couldn't find you last night, so I came to see you. Can't I see my wife?"

"You can." Michiru sounded unsure and wanted to take a step backwards as Haru inched closer, but the counter prevented her from doing so. She felt his hand reach for her neck as he pulled her closer and covered her lips with his own. His other hand slid to her waist, pulling her body firmly against his. She let go of the counter and put her hands on his chest, pushing him away.

"Haru, I told you, I can't, I'm sorry." She gave him a pleading look, but didn't find any remorse in the now burning green eyes.

"So you can fuck my sister, but you can't even kiss me?"

She felt like he slapped her, even though his hands didn't move from where they were. She just froze, realizing that Haruka must have told him.

"Answer me!" He placed both hands on the sides of her waist and shook her roughly.

"I'm gay," she forced out barely audibly.

"Really? Then how come you married me, Michiru?" He let go of her sides, but didn't step away. "What did you expect when you did that? Did you expect me to let you live in a separate room for the rest of our lives? Pretend that we were married and let you live another life on the side? Have my feelings ever entered your consideration?"

She didn't respond, which only seemed to fuel his anger. His eyes got darker, his hand reached for the white robe that covered Michiru's freshly showered body and pulled it away. His lips covered her own in another rough kiss, this time bruising them. His hands brought her close as hers tried to push him away, but he was stronger. His blinding anger added to his strength, killed all his other senses. He moved backwards and dragged her with him to the bed, throwing her on it and covering the shivering body with his own, undoing his clothes along the way.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't in any physical pain, and if she was, it was nothing compared to her mental anguish. Her eyes were closed, the tears escaping from underneath long lashes. No sound escaped her lips. She may have deserved this, but she still couldn't believe it was happening to her. Even more so, she didn't know where they could go from here. For the first time in her life she was in so much agony that she wanted something or someone to release her from it… take it all away… she doubted that hell, where she would undoubtedly end up, was much worse than what she was going through.

**X X X**

When Haru was done he pulled away, put his clothes back on and quietly exited the suite, leaving the still form of his wife in the bed.

He ran out of the hotel, as fast as he could, as far away as he could. He fell on his knees in the wet sand, his forehead touching the ground. He couldn't believe any of this. He wished for an intervention, but he never imagined that it would happen this way or that it would hurt as much as it did. Losing Michiru like this shook his entire being, but betrayal of his twin was so much worse. It brought out things he didn't know he had in him. It brought a man he didn't know out. A man that could physically hurt his wife. A man that could physically hurt his sister. He felt all that vile come up his throat, choking him, suffocating him, until he released it, along with the contents of his stomach. When the last purging convulsion ended he got up slowly and walked into the ocean, washing away his sins and baptizing himself for a new life. A new life where he would fix everything. He came back to the surface as the first large rain drops hit the ground, the storm finally breaking.

**X X X**

Back at the hotel room Michiru got off the bed, reentered the bathroom and sat in the bathtub, turning the hot water on and letting it wash the dirt off her skin, scold it away. She wished she could cleanse her soul the same way, but knew that it would never be that easy. She hugged her knees to her chest and started rocking, staring into space.

Her sister's voice finally reached her as Nanami knelt on her side.

"Michiru, what's wrong? Honey, what happened?"

Hot water was still running, covering Michiru up to her trembling forearms. There were no tears, no emotions on her face. She was just rocking back and forth, staring straight ahead into nothingness. Back and forth.

Nanami stopped the water and pulled out a cellphone from her pocket.

"I need you to come to Michiru's suite."

Michiru saw from her peripheral vision as Nanami hang up the phone and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around Michiru, she then picked up the discarded robe from the floor and brought it closer.

"Come on, Michi, you have to get out."

Michiru didn't stop what she was doing, but allowed her sister to dry her off. When Nanami put a robe on her shoulders Michiru shook it off, got up and went to her wardrobe. The last thing she wanted to do was feel that robe touch her skin again. She got a set of lounge wear out, put it on and slid down to the floor, her back leaning against the wall.

"What happened?"

Michiru saw Sora stand in front of her.

"We need to get out of here." He extended his hand to Michiru. "Come on, we'll take you home."

Michiru accepted, rising up and allowing a glimpse of hope show in her features. She wanted to get out of here, wanted to go somewhere she could forget the past hour, pretend that it never happened, bury it so deep that she never had to revisit it again.

**X X X**

_Present day_

Haruka stared at Michiru in horror. Did she just hear her right? She couldn't have misheard her, the words were still running through her mind.

"_Maybe you should have thought about the possible consequences to your actions before you forced yourself on me, taking any respect I have ever had for you along with my dignity from me!"_

She felt nausea come up her throat and dashed for the bathroom. Haru forced himself on her? Haru raped Michiru? Her Michiru? The knuckles on her hands became white from the intensity with which she was holding the porcelain bowl. She straightened up and washed her face. She seemed to be doing this a lot lately and she definitely didn't like it. Were thoughts that made you sick to your stomach toxic? Would that fuchsia potassium whatever drink help her get rid of them as well? She shook her head and grabbed the towel, hiding her face in it.

Michiru followed the blonde in. She didn't allow any of her true feelings on the subject come out until now, but she had reached her breaking point.

"Don't you walk away from me! I've never walked away from you! Even after what you did! I was there for you when your parents died, understanding full well that such a loss was devastating. I gave you a chance and you were the one who blew me off." She caught the green eyes in the reflection of the mirror. "Yes I cheated on you, yes I never had any feelings beyond friendship for you, but neither gave you the right to use physical force to get what you want! What kind of a man are you?"

Her breathing became labored from screaming as angry tears spilled down her cheeks. "What kind of a husband would force himself on his wife?" Every second of the stretching silence made her feel the pain more. "ANSWER ME!"

Haruka turned around to face her, dropping the towel on the counter. "I'm not your husband."

She brushed past the confused aquanette and walked back to the living room. She was visibly shaking. How could he? How could he do that? He had no right! At that moment she wished he was alive so that she could kill him herself.

"What do you mean?" Michiru finally came out of her stupor and followed the blonde.

"I'm not your husband, I'm not Haru." She faced her judge fully.

"Haruka?" Michiru's lower lip quivered as she came closer, trying to find anything that would help her distinguish this person from her husband.

Haruka just nodded, unable to speak.

"When did you get back?" Michiru stepped closer, putting a hand on her lover's cheek.

"I never left, Michiru." Haruka covered violinist hand with her own. She felt the small hand slide away as it went back to Michiru's side.

"What do you mean you never left?" Michiru whispered.

"I never left, Michiru. I was here all this time. For the last three months -"

Was there a training school of reactions to her confessions? Or was it just that the only reaction she attracted from people was a punch in the face? Who knew that a sophisticated woman like Michiru could punch in the face, anyway. Haruka touched her aching flesh and stared at the fury in front of her. Anger emphasized her beauty.

"You have been here this whole time?" Michiru screamed, completely offended at the idea that Haruka would be near and lie to her. This whole time.

"Physically, yes." Haruka's tone was even.

"What do you mean physically? How could you? How could you lie to me this whole time? Where is your brother?" Michiru fumed.

That was more than one question and Haruka didn't know where to start. She walked to the couch and sat down, putting her elbows on her knees and lowering the head in thought.

"I was here physically all along, Michiru, but I wasn't myself. I needed time to cope, time to understand what happened and accept it." She raised her eyes back to the sapphires. "Haru is dead, Michiru… he was on that helicopter, he was coming to the island with my parents to discuss the situation, he was going to step aside."

Michiru was horrified. "He… is… dead?" Her voice fell down to a whisper again. She wished him to be dead after what he did to her, but she never actually meant it. She put that desire past her and tried to help after the accident, tried to be there for him despite everything that happened. Wait, that wasn't him… that was Haruka.

"It was you? This whole time it was you?" Her voice rose again.

Haruka nodded, her expression sad, but unnoticed by Michiru. "Yes, that was me."

"How could you?" Michiru stepped away from her. "How could you lie to me like that?"

"I never actually lied to you, you just thought that I was him."

"You dressed like him, you spoke like him, how is that not lying?"

"It's not my fault that you can't tell between us. I thought someone who claims to love me would at least know how to differentiate between me and my brother." Haruka has had it. Yes she was wrong in not telling Michiru, but she had reasons to do so, why couldn't she just be listened to, just understood?

"I never said I loved you."

Haruka froze. A million things ran through her mind, but none of them brought emotions anymore. The fire in her eyes died down as she made an attempt to move her lips and respond.

"No, Michiru, you didn't. I was just foolish enough to assume that you did. Foolish enough to take your actions for those of someone who was truly interested in me, who cared for me. Foolish enough to choose you over my twin." She stopped for a moment, catching her breath. "I paid dearly for that by losing my entire family. My mistake."

Michiru forgot about everything that made her mad at the sound of a voice devoid of any emotion. Haruka sounded like the robot that she saw at the dock. It made Michiru want to take it all back, she may not have told Haruka that she loved her, but she did. She was still arguing with herself on the subject when Haruka continued.

"I'm sorry, Kaioh-san, I will not require or expect anything from you in the future." She finally moved towards the drawer where all keys were kept. Pulling it open, she took all contents out, sorted through the different shapes and separated two. She looked at them for a while before putting them down on the counter.

"These are from the house and the California. You can keep both." Haruka was still looking at the counter, not wanting to see the smaller woman. "Give me an hour, I'll relieve you of my presence."

Haruka went upstairs without another word, straight to her bedroom. She grabbed the luggage and started throwing everything in her closet in the assorted suitcases, taking some of the rage out. She didn't have enough, so she just zipped whatever she got so far and took them downstairs, going straight to the garage, towards the Cayenne.

**X X X**

Michiru was still standing in the same spot. What has just happened? Her husband was dead. She was pregnant. Haruka just walked out of the door. The last one was apparently Michiru's fault, yet she couldn't make herself move. Couldn't stop the woman she loved from walking away. It was all too much.

**X X X**

Haruka entered the dark empty house, dragging one of the suitcases behind herself. She went straight upstairs and halted in front of a mirror. The image she saw there disgusted her. How could he? No matter what she put him through, no matter what Michiru put him through, he didn't have the right to touch her. For the first time in her life she hated her brother, which in turn made her feel sick at seeing him in the mirror. She punched the smooth surface, cutting her hand and not noticing it. Next, she started ripping his suit off of her body. Once she was naked she walked to her parents' bedroom and put her mother's robe on. That felt better. Her next stop was by her father's desk, where she found a pad and a pen. She looked at her watch - it wasn't even nine. She made a few calls before taking the pad and walking determinedly through the house.

**X X X**

Nanami kept ringing the bell unsuccessfully, just like the phone.

"Michiru, Michiru, are you there?" She finally stopped banging on the abused door and went around the house. She tried to check insides for any signs of life, but found none. She was in a panic because she had been trying to get in contact with Michiru the whole day, yet all of her attempts were unsuccessful. She wondered how difficult it would be to get up to the balcony. She looked around for something she could use to get up there, and that was when she noticed a lone figure walking in the water along the shoreline.

"Michiru!" She ran towards the figure dressed in a plain black tunic.

Michiru raised her head at the sound of splashes Nanami was making. She didn't know how long she'd been walking for, just listening to the waves, feeling the water kiss her ankles.

"Where have you been? I've been calling you all day, I've been worried sick!" Nanami threw herself at her sister.

"I'm sorry," Michiru forced out, feeling guilty that she made yet another human being suffer.

"What happened? How did he react?"

Michiru stared at her sister for a long moment before finally forcing her mouth to move. "He didn't react. He's dead."

Nanami's blood froze in her veins. "Michi, what have you done?" she whispered.

Michiru stared at her sister in stunned silence. "I didn't do anything," she said finally. "Who do you take me for?"

"A woman with raging hormones?" Nanami answered honestly.

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean that I'm senseless." She started walking again. "He was on the chopper Nana-chan. He's been dead for three months."

"What?" Nanami caught up with the aquanette and looked in her face. "What do you mean he's been dead for three months? Then who -" It dawned on her. "Haruka-san."

Michiru nodded. Nanami was speechless. They got out of the water and walked towards the house, their feet bathing in the hot sand, their minds spinning around the same subject.

"What now?"

"I don't know." Michiru really hoped she knew.

"What happened last night?" Nanami tried again.

Michiru sat down on the concrete slab and gestured for Nanami to do so as well. "I blamed who I thought was my husband for what happened, in reality revealing the truth to his sister. She announced that he's been dead. I blamed her for lying, she blamed me for not being able to see that it was her. I said that I didn't love her, she said that she would get out of my way."

Concerned sapphires looked in their mirror image. "It wasn't fair for her to say that you couldn't tell between them - no one can."

"That's not true."

They both turned around sharply at the soft low voice behind them.

"Sora-chan? What are you doing here?"

He walked around the slab and stood in front of them. "I wanted to make sure that everything was well. Unfortunately, my instinct was right. What's going on?"

Nanami gave him a nutshell version of what was happening, including Michiru's pregnancy to the knowledge of which he was not privy. Both sisters grew suspicious when Sora was not surprised by the news of Haru's death.

"Did you know that Haru is dead?" Nanami asked, eyeing him warily.

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Few weeks." Sora knew he was walking on a thin ground by the steeliness of his girlfriend's tone.

"And you didn't think that it was something you should share?" Nanami finally blew up.

"I promised that I wouldn't. I don't break my promises."

"How could you?"

"It wasn't my secret, Nanami, it was Haruka's. It wasn't up to me to come clean for her, I had to force a confession out of her as it was."

"How did you know?" The angry couple turned towards the direction where the quiet question came from.

"Little things that are uncharacteristic of Haru." He looked at the forlorn aquanette. "Things that only someone who knows both of them well would know, don't beat yourself for that." He had an internal battle about confessing the next part before he decided to to it. "Also, Haru has never played the piano well. That's Haruka's way of sharing her feelings. She isn't good with words, so she has always used the instrument to pour out her emotions."

Michiru was inspecting the particles of sand under her dirty feet. It made sense; when she heard the pianist, she felt the pain, felt like the instrument was talking to her. That was why it fascinated her, she just didn't know that Haruka was the one playing.

"I should have known that it was her," Michiru finally whispered.

"She didn't make it easy for you to do so and I think she needed space to go through her grief on her own. She lost her entire family, Michiru-san." Sora put a hand around her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"It just hurts that she didn't include me in it, didn't tell me that my husband was dead. How could she? It's not like she forgot to mention a small, meaningless thing. It affects me. Affects all of us. How could she?"

"I don't know. All I know is that Haru was her world, her other half. Now he's gone, her world is empty and she is not one to let someone else in easily. That world will not populate fast. She needs time; you both need time to sort things through, to think with your hearts and not your hot heads."

He watched as Michiru nodded slowly. He was happy that it was this much easier to reason with the aquanette. He didn't even want to think what a conversation with the blonde would look like. Speaking of the blonde…

"Where is Haruka?" He looked at Nanami who shrugged and returned his gaze to Michiru.

"She's gone." Her voice was very soft and quiet.

"Where?"

"I don't know." She turned her wistful gaze to the garage. "People came to the house today and took her belongings and her cars. She left me the house keys and the California last night and just walked away. I have no idea where she is."

A single tear escaping sapphires did not go unnoticed by Sora. He looked at the ocean and wondered where his friend would be.

**X X X**

It was past five when Sora decided to try the Tenoh Estate as the last resort. He went to the penthouse first, but didn't find her or the cars there. He checked other properties the Tenoh Group used to own before he realized that the family house stood empty. He pulled in through the open gates and felt like he entered a movie set. _Bingo_.

There were cars, trucks and people all around. Things were being loaded and unloaded at the same time, almost everyone in action and no one standing still. He found a space to park his car along the driveway and walked up the rest of the way. He was sure that Haruka created this mess, but had no idea where to start looking, so he decided to save some time and ask. He looked at the men scurrying around and had to step out of the way of some, lest he would get run over by people carrying furniture. His eyes fell on a figure of a woman looking at something on the facade. She was wearing a simple black short-sleeve dress, the skirt reaching just above her knees. Her hair was short and brown, milliards of highlights creating an interesting contrast. He approached her from behind and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, I was wond -"

Sora's eyes grew wide as the woman turned, revealing a familiar face. What he mistakenly took for highlights was her natural hair color, while the brown lowlights completely transformed her look. The dress fit her perfectly without revealing too much, but definitely accentuating her female form. Green eyes sparkled at him with mischief. She gave him a dazzling smile and winked.

"I thought some change was appropriate for the beginning of a new life."

"_Some_ change?" He finally forced out. "You call a makeover and…" He gestured at the scene. "… completely changing your surroundings _some_ change?"

"Yeah."

"How did you even manage all this since yesterday?" He doubted that even he could refurnish a house that size and change his look that fast.

"Money will do wonders." She gestured for him to follow her. "Besides, it took me the whole night to figure out what kind of things I want and where I want them, so the rest was just a matter of finding them and getting them delivered that instant."

"Seriously." Sora smiled wryly as they entered the house.

"Careful, the paint is still wet." She grabbed his sleeve to move him away from a corner around the living room.

Sora looked around. The walls were white, the furniture modern and simple, and decorations sparse - just like the beach house and the penthouse. At least her taste didn't change, although he did notice a splash of color from the rug. The grand piano that he remembered being in the music room upstairs made its way down, sitting by a bay window on the side of the living room as though it belonged there. That was a good sign, at least he knew for sure that she would be using it.

"Love what you did with the place."

She gave him a quick glance trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or honest. It seemed to be the latter. "I only redid the main rooms; my primary focus was on getting rid of everything that was here. I think they are doing the last load now, they've been here since six." She sat down on a gray couch. "I still need to get a lot of stuff, but at least we don't have to sit on the floor."

"Yes, that is highly appreciated." He took a seat opposite to her. "What is your next step?"

Haruka, who decided to abandon her strategy of baby steps and instead replace them with giant ones, leaned back into the couch and looked at the ceiling. "Well, tomorrow will be a fun day at the office, since no one can mistake me now."

That was an understatement. "Yes, that doesn't really seem like you. Is there any particular reason for this, other than the 'change' banner?"

"Me and Haruko had a disagreement, so I needed to get away from him."

Despite the fact that neither Nanami nor Michiru have shared the circumstances of Michiru getting pregnant, Sora connected the dots. "That's a rather extreme way to do so, don't you think?"

"No. For right now it's the only way."

"You go from one extreme to the next."

"You have a problem with that?" She challengingly raised an eyebrow.

"No, you seem to be the one who gets problems from that."

"Don't worry, there will be no other problems after tomorrow. There will be nothing left to lose."


	29. You Are Out, I Am In

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 28**

**You Are Out, I Am In.**

People were staring at her. That wasn't a good thing because it annoyed the daylight out of her and it was still very early in the day. So what if her hair was different and she was wearing a pencil-skirt suit instead of a pant one. It wasn't like she grew two heads. Haruka reached the executive elevator and pressed the top button. What had possessed her to go through the lobby instead of the garage? Stupidity. That and the fact that she decided to stop by a nearby coffee shop and get a cup of caramel macchiato. She sipped on the drink, taking some pleasure in the hot liquid scolding her tongue. Maybe it was worth it.

The elevator doors opened and she was met with a chaos. Another thing that apparently went wrong that morning - she was hoping for some peace and quiet, but, of course, she would have none of it. She walked inside the North Office and set her cup on the desk before walking out and questioning the secretary about the state of chaos. Instead of answering, the woman just stared back at her.

_Oh, that's right._

She forgot that it was her brother's secretary and she… well, she no longer looked like her brother. She walked back in the office, grabbed her cup and her briefcase and walked past the still shocked secretary to the opposite side of the floor, repeating the process. Her own secretary seemed just as shocked, but a lot more enthusiastic at the idea of having her boss back.

"Kaioh-san came up with some new idea, so he called an emergency board meeting. Both Kaioh-sans are here today." She finally put an excited smile on her face. It had been a bit boring with Haruka gone, the young woman would never admit it to anyone out of professionalism, but she enjoyed the havoc that seemed to follow the Vice President.

"Why wasn't I called to that meeting?" Haruka asked, the fact that she had not officially been in the office for over three months escaping her again.

"I'm not sure anyone knew where to find you, Tenoh-san."

"Right…" She turned towards her office before looking at the secretary again. "Was my brother notified?"

"I don't know, Tenoh-san, but I can look into that."

"Please do." She entered the South Office and shut the door._ What game are you playing now, Kaito?_

She took some papers out of her briefcase and sat down behind the desk. She looked at the first two documents for a long while, reminiscing on how they came to her. It was the same bloody morning. The twenty-four hours between June second and June third seemed to be climatic of everything that happened to her since.

_She listened in silence, processing what he said. He finally disconnected from the wall, walked up to the bed and threw some papers on it. "Take these with you, you will need them at some point." _

_She took the papers and shuffled through them, her hands shaking at their meaning._

_He looked back up at her. "Apparently you two were meant to be together, much more so than even you know. This…" He pointed to the top sheet. "...is the marriage certificate. The certificate, where my name was misspelled, making you Michiru's spouse. I don't know if it would ever hold up in court, but you at least have a claim."_

_He took in her shocked expression. "Yeah, that would be one of the signs. Fate is playing games with us. The second one is a copy of my will. I would like you to keep it, just in case." She jerked at that statement. "Don't worry, I'm not suicidal, neither am I intending to die any time soon. I just made some changes to it and we have always kept each other's wills. I see no reason not to do so now. Put it where the last one is."_

_She finally nodded, accepting it for no more than it was: an update. _

"_I want you to know that I still love you, but you hurt me like no one else has ever done. I need time to heal." _

_She finally gave up and walked up to him, hugging him close with all her might, as though she could return what they had by bringing him physically close. "I love you too. I'm so sorry. I hope one day you will find it in yourself to forgive me."_

She came back to reality at the knock on the door. Her right hand wrinkled the marriage certificate it was holding._ Yes, meant to be together indeed._ She snorted before telling her secretary to come in.

"As far as I could tell, your brother was not notified of the meeting either."

"Thank you."

Haruka watched the door close before she threw both documents she was holding on the table and turned to face the city. So, Kaito decided to make the decisions as he used to with the Kaioh Group? He seemed to be forgetting that he was no longer at the wheel; it was time to remind him of that. She took the marriage certificate and put it in the safe - she didn't need it now, probably would never need it. Next, she took the will that was bound at the top and pressed a button on the intercom.

"_Yes, Tenoh-san."_

"Have Hara-san come into my office as soon as possible."

Haruka disconnected before her secretary could even respond. Less than five minutes later the platinum blonde walked inside.

"Good Morning, Haruka-san."

"Good Morning, Mizuki-san." Haruka gestured towards the chair opposite her desk, which Mizuki took.

"Have you had a chance to look into what we discussed yesterday?"

"I have."

"And?"

Mizuki gave her boss a brilliant smile. "We are all set."

Haruka returned the smile before finishing her coffee.

**X X X**

"… it will put us in the new market where -" Kaito turned as the door opened and two women walked in.

"Sorry we are late, but I didn't seem to get the message about this meeting." Haruka smiled internally at their shocked expressions before she took a seat at the head of the table, opposite to one Kaito and Miho occupied. Mizuki pulled a chair from the side of the room and took a seat next to the blonde. Well, if you could still call her that.

"H-Haruka?" Miho seemed to be the first one to come to her senses.

"That's right."

"What are you doing here?" It was Kaito's turn to shake his stupor off.

Haruka locked her cold emerald eyes with his. "What are _you_ doing here?"

He didn't like her authoritative tone of voice. "Young lady, I don't know where you have been, but apparently you have forgotten that I'm a shareholder and I have been giving input into everything that was going on with this company in your absence."

"Thank you Kaioh-san, your concern is greatly appreciated." She gave him a fake smile. "I'm back, so your input will no longer be necessary."

"Excuse me?"

"For what?"

"That was rhetorical, Haruka, who the hell do you think you are?" He was starting to lose it.

"Ah, as to that…" She gave the stunned board members a pointed glance. "Ladies and gentleman would you leave us? This meeting is over."

They didn't know what to do. Half of them used to work under Kaito, so to them he was still the main person in the room; the other half thought they knew Haruka, so they didn't really take her seriously. They kept looking at each other, waiting for someone to act first.

Haruka's patience ran out long before any of them decided to act. "May I remind you that Kaioh-san, though a shareholder, is not a member of this board, nor does he have an official post within the company. I, on the other hand, do. Unless you want to join him in not being a part of this company, I recommend getting the hell out of this room and not coming back until I told you to do so." Her voice was as cold as ice, as were her eyes. Not one member of the board seemed to have an issue understanding or following her directive after that. They hurriedly gathered their things and left the boardroom.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kaito roared as the door closed.

"I'm setting things straight," she answered evenly, relaxing deeper into her chair. "Sit down, Kaioh-san, I don't like when people tower over me, even if they are on the other end of the table."

"You little piece of shit, who do you think you are to order me around? You are this close..." He almost put his thumb and index finger together in gesture. "...to my forgetting that you are my best friends' child and throwing you off the corporate ladder."

To his further displeasure, Haruka chuckled at that. "Well, Kaioh-san, unfortunately for you, I don't think you can do that."

Kaito stared at her. That was just ridiculous. She may have been right about him not having an official post within the company, but he was still one of the main shareholders. His word had a lot of weight.

"I can do many things, which apparently your air-headed brain doesn't comprehend. Where is your brother? He needs to be here for this."

"Yes, that is what everyone wants to know, isn't it? That was also rhetorical, Kaioh-san, no need to answer." She got up and walked to the window, looking out at the cityscape and gathering her strength. She finally turned around and faced both Kaiohs.

"Sit down, Kaito-san, it's not an order, you just may want to sit for this one." She watched as Miho pulled her agitated husband down. "I have asked my own parents this shortly before they… have had the misfortune of taking that god damn helicopter… what has possessed them to arrange a marriage of their son. They have given me their version, I would like you to do me the honor of doing the same."

"What makes you think that you can just do that after your little outburst -" Kaito stopped as his, quiet until now, wife raised a hand.

"An arranged marriage is a family tradition that goes from generation to generation. Most times it is made to benefit the family business or to tie two sets of families for political or social reasons. Both Kaito and I come from traditional lines of old money and arranged marriages, we have never seen any problems with the idea. In the spirit of modernity we did decide to arrange only one marriage in our family, so Michiru was meant to marry your brother. I still believe that parents have an upper hand at telling who is good for their children and pair them up without any illogical considerations, such as attraction and other perceived feelings. Once two people are married, they can always work on their relationship and come out happy on the other end. Me and Kaito are a perfect example."

Well, that was a bit more upfront and better structured than her parents' explanation, but it also showed how thick-headed these people were.

"You don't know your daughter at all. Apparently my parents were not as blind as you are, so they recognized that they made a mistake." She saw Kaito get up again and put her hand up to let him know that she had a point. "My parents were coming to the oRb to talk to you about the absurdness of your decision. My brother joined them in their effort."

She watched them, waiting for the realization to dawn. Once it did, they spoke in unison, their questions reminding her that Michiru was truly their daughter. The fact that she pretended to be him seemed to bother them more than the fact that he was dead. This time, however, she didn't intend to even try and explain herself - they weren't worthy of explanation in her eyes. She raised a hand again, trying to make them stop.

"So, here is where we stand. The consequences of the marriage arrangement on the emotional scale of things is something you have to take up with your daughter. On the other hand, we have to deal with the materialistic side, this company."

"What happens to this company is pretty clear. You are out and I'm in." Kaito finally got to where he wanted to be.

"Yes, I don't think so." She walked back to her chair and took a seat. "You see, Kaioh-san, arranged marriages based on business have an interesting effect on the distribution of shares. Let me remind you what this particular marriage and reorganization did. There are ten board members, each of them holding one percent, totaling in ten percent of shares. The other ninety have been divided equally between the Kaioh and the Tenoh family. With the death of my family, all those shares have passed on to me-"

"Which only makes you have as much as our family does, so your word is still against mine. Let's see who the board will back up."

"Do not interrupt me!" She tried to gather her cool front again. "You are forgetting about the arranged marriage. Half of your daughter's shares went to my brother."

"Which goes back to her upon his death, they were married."

"You are interrupting me again. That would be true if he didn't have a will. According to his will, though, everything he had goes to me, nothing goes to his so-called wife."

"What?" Miho breathed out.

"Yes, Kaioh-san, my brother has always had a will. He put Michiru-san in it once they got married, but took her out on June second after he had a rude awakening about the failure of his marriage." She looked at their somber expressions with satisfaction. "Therefore, where this leaves us is with me holding over fifty-six percent of the shares." Now her satisfaction was openly displayed on her face.

"You little piece of shit, you don't even care about this company." Kaito's anger came back.

"What is it with you and name calling?" Haruka was irritated by it. "Despite the popular belief, I do care about this company. Your failure to see that is another reason why I think you're oblivious to the world and everything but yourself. Further, half of this company was built by my parents' sweat, blood and tears, don't think for a second that I do not care about that. Then the merger of our company with yours, in a long way that involves explanations I'm not willing to give, cost me my whole family. Don't think for a second that I will let go of it. You are out, I am in."

Both Kaito and Miho stared at her in disbelief. "Don't you think for a second that I will hesitate to take you to court."

"Feel free." Haruka answered gesturing towards silent Mizuki. "I believe you have met my attorney. She made sure that all paperwork was consistent before I came here today, so if you choose to waste your time, money and reputation in court, be my guest."

Kaito's fists balled as he was struggling to come up with a plan. No matter which way he thought, he felt like he was trapped. Worse, he himself engineered the trap by creating the reorganization scheme. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn't. If the will was valid, Haruka owned the majority of this corporation's stock. It unnerved and nauseated him, but it was a fact.

"You will hear from me again." He turned towards the door and walked briskly out, Miho following him in his step.

Haruka looked at Mizuki. "Well, that is done."

"Congratulations, chairwoman." Mizuki smiled at her superior.

Haruka smiled back, but she somehow felt hollow. The satisfaction she expected never came. Instead, she felt the same void she did before she entered the elevator that morning.

**X X X**

"What are we going to do?" Miho asked as they made themselves comfortable in the town car.

"I don't know." Kaito really didn't. "Somehow I feel helpless and I hate it. We failed to see this outcome as a possibility when we made the arrangements."

"Not being able to predict that all family members but one will die in a tragic accident is hardly an oversight." Miho looked at her husband with concern. "Are you okay?"

Kaito was a little out of breath. "I'm fine, just feel a bit uncomfortable. Then again, a little arrogant blonde just turned our world upside down, can you really blame me?"

"If our world is upside down, can you imagine what hers must have felt like?" Miho mused quietly.

"She sure seems to be dealing with it better than us." He rubbed the strange feeling in his chest away with his hand.

"Somehow I don't think so."

They both grew quiet, both thinking about the events of the past hour and the events of the past three months.

**X X X**

Michiru had been watching as the news of her husband's death spread with the speed of lightening over the networks. Every news channel seemed to run a story on his unexpected demise and the unprecedented cover-up that ensued by either the corporation, or Haruka, or someone else, depending on which channel you were tuned in to. She flipped the television off in disgust, throwing the remote control on the couch. _Vultures._ All they wanted was a story, they didn't care if it had any truth to it or not. Being in the public eye, she was used to it enough to know the true colors of media.

Her cell phone chimed as she stepped into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She set the crystal on the counter and flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Michi," Nanami's concerned voice reached her through the speaker. "I sent a driver to pick you up, he'll be there shortly. You need to come to the hospital, dad had a heart attack."

**X X X**

The only sounds in the spacious hospital room were produced by the steadily beeping machines. Kaito lay in bed; heart monitor, catheter, oxygen sensor, and IV drip were connected to his sleeping form. Unlike the man that could bestow his wrath upon anyone in his way, this man seemed old and weak.

The uncomfortable feeling in his chest and the shortness of breath Kaito was stoically, yet stupidly, trying to conceal were symptoms of a heart attack that he failed to see coming. It wasn't until he felt his chest tighten and fell to the couch that Miho dialed the emergency number. He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed and all necessary medications had been administered. His life wasn't under any threat any longer, but it did nothing to relieve his family of the heavy weight on their own chests.

Michiru felt stuffy and uncomfortable in the hospital room, but she wanted to be by her father's side. Miho gave her daughters a short version of what had transpired that morning and most likely served as the cause to their father's present state. The news outraged Michiru. How could Haruka do that? Was there any sense left in the woman's head? How could she take away the only thing her father had left after he lost his friends - his company? If she felt bad about what she had said on Saturday, she now felt justified.

Michiru looked up as the glass door opened and her sister, supporting her mother, got in. "How is he?" Nanami asked, helping her mother to sit down in a chair by the hospital bed.

"Same."

"He needs rest, Michi, that's what the doctor said. His heart attack was not nearly as bad as it could have been, there were no complications. You should go home," Nanami pleaded.

Michiru only shook her head stubbornly. It was late in the evening, they had been sitting there for hours, but they all felt that they had to be near. Miho dosed off on the side of the bed, holding her husband's hand. Nanami was sketching something in her pad in front of the window overlooking the lights of Tokyo, while Michiru was deep in thought. What brought her out of her reverie was a woman clad in black suit standing on the other side of the glass, her emerald eyes locked on the picture inside. Michiru got up and stealthily exited the room, taking Haruka by the sleeve and pulling her out of anyone's earshot.

"How dare you come here?" she hissed.

The concern in Haruka's eyes was replaced by a mix of regret and sadness. "I wanted to know how he's doing."

"You wanted to know?" Michiru tried to collect herself and not break down in tears. "What do you care? You did this to him!"

"Excuse me?" Was she blaming her for her father's poor health? That was just ridiculous. Why did she come here? Would her poor judgement have an end today?

"You took my father's company away from him, you pushed him over the edge!" Despite her resolve, tears spilled over Michiru's cheeks. "You want me to suffer just like you do without a family?"

Haruka looked at the hysterical woman in front of her and felt her heart sink. On an impulse, she pulled her in a tight embrace, ignoring Michiru's attempt to free herself until the smaller woman gave up against the strong, ungiving hold and simply sobbed on Haruka's shoulder.

"I never meant for you to lose any part of your family. Just because I lost mine, doesn't mean you have to lose yours." She closed her eyes, forcing the stinging feeling to go away. Instead of subsiding, Michiru's sobs seemed to increase, so Haruka raised her right hand and caressed the back of the aqua head. "It will be okay." She kissed Michiru's temple. "It will be okay."

When the sobs subsided, Haruka tried again. "How is he?"

"Okay," Michiru forced out. She felt so comfortable in the familiar embrace, so secure. Despite everything that had transpired between them. If only she could forget about all those other things that happened. "Why did you do that?" She raised her head to look in the emeralds, to find an answer. She saw none. The masks were hard in place well before the sapphires reached the green pools.

"I did what was right - I got in charge of the only thing in my life I still can control," Haruka replied sadly.

Michiru took a step back. "You call taking my father's company away from him right?"

"An eye for an eye. He took my family away, I took his company away."

Michiru flinched from the coldness of the other's words. "He didn't take anything away from you - it wasn't his fault. It was _my_ fault, _your_ fault, but not his."

"Sure it was, he insisted on putting that helipad there. He provided them with a weapon, they just pulled the trigger."

"Haruka, it was an _accident_!" Michiru stared at the unfamiliar woman in front of her. Who was this stranger? Was Haruka as different on the inside as she was on the outside from the woman Michiru loved? "Accidents happen, how could he know that something like this would happen? It wasn't his fault!"

"Well, that's your opinion and you are entitled to have it. Mine happens to be different and I'm entitled to it as well. In either case all I did was lay out where the company stood as of today. It's not really my fault that he couldn't handle it."

This time Michiru slapped her. "Get out of here."

Emeralds and sapphires stared at each other in a raging battle until emeralds decided to yield.

"With pleasure." Haruka turned around and walked briskly to the elevator, proceeding inside as the doors opened.

"Haruka."

She looked at the hand holding her upper arm, tracing the way to its owner. Sora stepped out of the elevator and gently pushed her out as well.

"What are you doing here, love?"

"Making another mistake." She pulled her arm out and stepped into the elevator before the doors closed, leaving the hospital floor along with all her noble intentions behind.


	30. Gettin' Over

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

**Gettin' Over**

"_All the things I know right now  
__If I only knew back then, there's no gettin' over__  
There's no gettin' over, there's just no gettin' over you  
Wish I could spin my world into reverse  
Just to have you back again, there's no gettin' over  
There's no gettin' over, there's just no gettin' over you"_

**X X X  
**

She opened one eye and stared into the darkness. Opening the other one, she looked at the figure laying next to her. She could barely see the shapely outline in this predawn hour. She remembered the previous night, the mind blowing sex and… felt nothing. She got up, put on her clothes and left the unfamiliar apartment. One-night-stands satisfied her body, but had long lost any other satisfaction they used to bring.

Haruka walked out into the empty street and breathed in the cool November air. It has been two months since she had last seen Michiru in the hospital hallway, she hasn't seen any of the Kaiohs since then. To the best of her knowledge, Kaito was recuperating at home, his wife by his side. She assumed Michiru moved back with her family, although she didn't have any interest, or perhaps any guts, to check if she was right. Nanami and Sora postponed their trip to Brazil for the exhibit due to Kaito's health and were due to come back that week. Haruka… well Haruka tried to live a new life.

Her new life consisted of long workdays, finally proving to the world and everyone within the Kaioh-Tenoh Corp. that they knew nothing about her. She has successfully led the company within the past two months and no one questioned her authority any longer. The frenzy over her brother's death seemed to die down over this time since neither she, nor anyone else have agreed to comment on it. The world seemed to move past that shocker and on to the next one. Haruka was happy to be finally left alone, so she slowly but surely started to get back to her old habits. Like driving fast, although not as much as she used to, and socializing, although, again, not as much as she used to. The strange thing was that her cars didn't give her the same satisfaction as they used to. Her social interactions or, more precisely, her one-night-stands simply failed miserably at what they were meant to do.

Haruka's denial of her feelings towards Michiru was at its new high as she walked through the empty streets, trying to find another explanation for why she wasn't satisfied with what she had. Her absolutely irrational conclusion? She needed a relationship. Something more than a sex buddy. She just needed to find someone who would become that. Someone other than Michiru, of course. She found the parking garage where the Veyron was parked and got inside, taking her baby home. The Tenoh Estate was her home now.

**X X X**

Michiru was eagerly awaiting her sister's return. Her month-long absence felt like a very long time, especially considering that for Michiru each week brought something new about the pregnancy. She needed someone close to share that with. She loved her parents dearly, but they simply didn't have a sharing kind of relationship. She checked her watch again, hoping that the arrival of the plane was much closer than the last time she checked. Of course, she only checked the time two minutes ago. She sighed and started pacing the airport lobby.

She finally heard the announcement of the plane's arrival over the speaker system and made her way towards the disembarking passengers. Three long minutes later she finally saw a dashing brunette couple enter her view. Nanami disconnected herself from Sora and ran the rest of the way to hug her very pregnant sister.

"Michi! I missed you so much! How are you? How are things? How are my nieces?"

"Your _nieces_?" Michiru forced through her genuine smile.

"Well, at least one of them has to be a girl! Who would I dress up otherwise?" Nanami laughed. Michiru joined her until she was succumbed by another hug, this one coming from Sora.

"I'm glad you both are back." Michiru sighed, content.

"We're glad to be back too. Although the trip _was_ amazing." Nanami smiled up at the black haired man before turning her attention back to her sister. "When was the last time you had something to drink? You know you should stay hydrated."

Michiru grimaced at Nanami's motherly concern and reassured her that she was following all of her doctor's instructions. Satisfied, Nanami started walking towards the exit, slipping her right hand through Sora's and lacing the fingers of her left through Michiru's. That was when Michiru noticed the ring, stopping abruptly.

"Wait a second, you ask me these silly questions and forget to mention something as big as_ this_?" She raised their hands, turning the ring towards Nanami.

"Ummm, yeah I may have forgotten in the rush of excitement… We got engaged!"

Michiru smiled at the beaming couple and prepared herself for a long detailed account of the circumstances of their engagement. She wasn't disappointed.

**X X X**

Haruka raised her head at the man entering her office. "Long time no see. You've got some tan."

Sora walked in and took a seat without any hesitation. "And your roots are clearly visible. Haven't you heard of maintaining color?"

She dropped the pen she was holding and relaxed into the back of her chair. "I'm still not sure if I like the look."

"It's been two months, I would expect you to figure out at least some things in your life by now." Sora raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"I have. They have nothing to do with my hair color though."

"Really? Then what have you figured out?"

"Why don't you and your girlfriend join me for a night on the town and I'll let you know."

"She's not my girlfriend anymore." Sora smiled.

"Oh?" Haruka waited for an explanation.

"She's my fiancée now."

"Congratulations!" Haruka was genuinely happy for his friend. "How did the parents take it?"

"I asked them before we left."

Haruka gave him a thoughtful glance. "I didn't realize you were that traditional."

"I'm not, but I'm also not in a search of extreme excitement in my life, unlike you."

"Touché." She brought her calendar to the screen. "So why don't we celebrate some time next week?"

"Of course. When?"

"Let's make it a Friday in case you drink too much, so that I don't have to excuse you from work." She winked at him jokingly.

"Friday it is."

**X X X**

Haruka was going through her address book, trying desperately to find somebody she could take on a date. She didn't know why such a person would be in her address book, but she needed to start somewhere. She fully intended to bring a date to the celebration dinner next week, so she decided to do a little test run over this weekend. Never having an actual date before, she decided to take a precaution. The idea of a relationship was still foreign to her, but she convinced herself that it was exactly what she needed. Once she did so, there was nothing to change her mind.

Not finding anyone suitable in her address book, i.e. someone she didn't know personally or professionally, she decided to go through a stack of business cards she had collected over the years. Placing faces to the names was pointless, so she started googling the names and setting those she could find in a separate stack of 'maybes.' After a long and painful process she picked Lada Mai, one of Yori's most prominent models, as her top contender. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

**X X X**

Lada Mai was a model. That pretty much described her if one would remember all the stereotypes that go hand in hand with the profession. She was tall and slim; her posture perfectly straight, her walk as graceful as it could be. Her long black hair reached below the waist when it was down, but found itself up in an obscure hairdo a lot more. Her facial features were well-defined, her black eyes standing out the most. She was beautiful. As for her other qualities… well she wasn't as pretty on the inside as she was on the outside. She wasn't a complete air head, but the business she was in has taught her to be pragmatic a long time ago, by the time she reached her mid-twenties she was completely disillusioned by the ways of the world and rather sour. Another thing she learned in those years was that everyone had a shelf life and hers was going to come in another five years. Therefore, she acted as the most likable person, searching for someone who would compensate for a pretty nice shelf. Tenoh Haruka could definitely do that.

Mai gave the woman across the table from her a heart-stopping smile. "This is a very nice restaurant, I've never been here before."

"Yes, it's new," Haruka explained. It was the newest sushi restaurant and the thought that Michiru would have loved it was pushed out of Haruka's mind.

Mai sipped on her cosmopolitan, looking at the other patrons through her long lashes. Yes, this was the place to be. She could name virtually everyone there, since they were exactly the people whose circle she looked to join. Haruka sipped on her mojito and watched her date closely. She was wearing one of Yori's dresses, her hair and makeup impeccable. Despite all that, Haruka, who was wearing a brown dress from Prada's latest collection herself, could tell that Mai was not used to being bathed in luxury. She was used to being a center of attention, for sure, but perhaps not in a company of people like herself. Haruka found herself wanting to know what was behind the confident and sweet facade.

They enjoyed their sushi and meaningless conversation, neither letting the other know anything beyond the public front. They were finishing their drinks, check taken care of by Haruka, when the latter excused herself to go to the bathroom. She exited the main dining room, entering the vast lobby and walking inside one of the doors to the side. She splashed her face with cold water, knowing full well that the evening was a complete disaster. She wasn't blind. She could be oblivious to many things by choice, but she wasn't blind. Her date was interested in Tenoh Haruka, the successful CEO that had money and social status. Haruka didn't like to be used. She exited the room and found herself against the wall, tall black haired woman passionately covering Haruka's lips with her own. Haruka answered mechanically, her hands sliding to the slim waist until Mai pulled away, a glint of satisfaction in her eye. She assumed she had the CEO where she wanted her. Haruka felt differently. She was about to let her date know exactly what she thought of being manipulated when someone else got her attention.

"Haruka?"

Haruka moved the woman in her hands out of the way and looked in the direction of the voice. She was met with the stares of Kaiohs plus one. She took in the array of expressions: concern from Sora, disappointment from Nanami, hurt from Michiru, surprise from Kaito, and disgust from Miho. She sighed internally, letting go of her date.

"Yes, Kaioh-san?" She asked Miho.

"What is the meaning of this?" The older woman forced, still standing to the side of the lobby where they waited for their table.

Haruka moved closer, not wanting to shout across the vast room. To her annoyance, her date followed.

"The meaning of what, Kaioh-san?" she asked halting in front of the small group.

"You… and her… you were kissing a girl?" Miho seemed to be offended at the idea.

Haruka looked at her date, allowing her gaze to travel from toes to the tip of the woman's head and turned to face the group again. "Yes, I do believe there is nothing that hides her being a woman."

Mai smiled in satisfaction. She was nervous up to this point, but now it seemed she had some ground with her date upon which she could stand solid.

Miho stared at the girl she has seen grow up with utter disbelief. "Your parents would turn in their graves if they found out."

Haruka broke into bolts of laughter. "My parents knew, Kaioh-san. As I have mentioned before, they weren't as blind as you are."

"What the hell do you mean?" Miho was still struggling to deal with this new development. Haruka, on the other hand, decided to add to that and once and for all put things where they belonged.

"Watch me."

With that she took two long strides, grabbed Michiru by the elbow and pulled her in a deep kiss. Kaito jerked towards the pair, but found Sora towering over him in his way. Miho attempted to do the same, but was stopped by Nanami's hand on her upper arm. As such, they had nothing else to do but to stare at the sight with utter shock.

"If you still intend to marry my daughter, I would suggest you get out of my way." Kaito evenly told Sora, who, after internal battle, took a step to the side, fully expecting the older man to kill his friend at that point. Kaito did not, he was waiting for Michiru's reaction.

Michiru wanted to push the blonde away… How dared she kiss her in front of her parents? Did she want her father to have another heart attack? How dared she kiss her after making out with that other woman? Surprisingly, that second thought was what made Michiru respond. The look on Mai's face was satisfying, so she decided to play along. That was until the rough kiss softened and both women found all those bottled up feelings seeping through the cracks. Haruka gently pulled the smaller woman closer, while Michiru slid her hands to Haruka's neck and tangled her fingers in the unfamiliar colored hair. They finally parted for air, but didn't let go of each other. Miho's voice broke the spell.

"Step away from my daughter, you pig!"

Haruka grew still before letting go of Michiru and turning around. "I really do wish you and your husband would stop calling me names. I've never allowed myself that, no matter how I felt about you. Don't worry Kaioh-san, your daughter doesn't want me." Haruka turned to face the smaller woman for a short but painful while. "Anymore."

She turned around and left them all, not bothering to explain what that statement meant, despite their questions. Not bothering about her date, just leaving the raging model stand where she was. She got in her car and sped towards the circuit. Maybe someone was still there.

**X X X**

Michiru has always been expecting an outburst from her father upon learning of her sexuality, but it was her mother's wrath that crushed her on Haruka's departure. Mai, embarrassed more than she had ever been in her life, left right behind Haruka. Once Kaito somewhat came back to his senses, he announced that they have had enough of public excitement for one night and directed them towards the stretch limo. It was in the limo that Miho finally found her voice again and turned to her daughter.

"What did she mean when she said that you didn't want her _anymore_?" Her voice was strangely devoid of any emotion.

Michiru felt like Haruka pushed her off the cliff and forgot to give her a parachute, or intentionally didn't do so. It was Michiru's fault for not telling her family until now, though, so she figured she might as well come clean. She looked at her father with concern, making sure that his breathing was not labored or that he didn't have any other signs of decreasing health. He looked normal, so she figured she couldn't use his heart attack as an excuse.

"Me and Haruka were… involved before the accident."

"Define involved," her mother pressed.

Michiru couldn't really find the right word to define what they had. Amazing sex? Undoubted attraction? Blinding passion? No, it was more than that. So what was it that they had that meant so much to them at the same time as they let it go as though it never happened?

"We were in love, mother." Michiru faced her mother fully.

"You _were_ in love? With a _woman_?"

_Still am._ "Yes, mother." Michiru flinched as her mother's hand connected with her cheek.

"No daughter of mine will be a lesbian!" Miho hissed.

"It's a little too late for that," Michiru said as she rubbed her cheek.

"Not from where I'm standing," Miho replied.

"Well, from where I'm sitting you can't change that mother. I've tried and failed. I knew that, Haru knew that, Nariko-san and Riku-san knew that, we all knew that."

Both Miho and Kaito remembered Haruka's words when she asked them about the circumstances of the arranged marriage. It all made sense now, it all fell into place. It wasn't enough to convince Miho.

"Your swollen belly tells me otherwise." She pressed.

Michiru took a moment to compose herself, biting the tongue at harsher words she could have used. "The circumstances of my pregnancy have nothing to do with this and we will never discuss them again." The harshness of her tone prevented both of her parents from pressing further.

"Very well then. I stand by my word, Michiru, no daughter of mine will be a lesbian. You will never see that woman again." _Or any other woman for that matter._

"I don't think that Haruka is a threat, mother." Michiru used the last of her energy to hide her sadness at the fact.

**X X X**

"Michi, I don't want you to stay here alone. It's not safe," Nanami argued for the umpteenth time.

"Nana-chan, I'm fine. I'm pregnant, not dying. I've been fine so far, I will be fine now."

They had this argument every week because with every passing week Nanami felt that her sister needed someone to watch over her more and more. As a result, she wanted Michiru to move back to the Kaioh Manor, a wish Michiru was reluctant to fulfill because of her strained relationship with her parents. The truth that came out a week ago wasn't accepted by either of her parents and Michiru didn't feel like arguing or even discussing the subject with them all the time, so she stayed away as much as she could, hiding in the tranquility of the beach house. Nanami called what seemed like every hour and visited every day, but Michiru didn't really mind. She would never admit to it, but she didn't want to be alone all the time.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Michiru sighed in fake exasperation.

"Sora-chan is not here yet," Nanami replied, her fists on her hips. "Don't you change the topic on me!"

Today was Friday, the one when Haruka invited the newly engaged couple for a night on the town. Nanami omitted that fact and only explained that Sora and her were going out. A sight of approaching headlights signaled to Michiru that her sister was wrong and she pointed to the window with satisfaction.

"Your knight in shining armor is here."

"Stay, I got it." Nanami pushed her rising sister back into the couch.

She opened the door and her eyes fell to the SUV parked in the front. Sora, followed by the blonde walked up to greet her. She stepped away and let them in.

"Hi."

Michiru looked up at the owner of the husky voice. Haruka stood next to the door, no longer feeling at home in the beach house. She was wearing one of her short outfits and high heels. Her hair was fully blonde again. Michiru's breath caught at the sight - she looked so much like the woman she met at the club, the woman from the night of lovemaking at the oRb. She looked like her Haruka.

"Hi."

Haruka was admiring the view of a very pregnant Michiru. It didn't dawn on her until they met last week how much Michiru was pregnant and how beautiful that made her. The realization was so powerful that it made her kiss the younger woman in front of her family, despite the obvious repercussions. She was resisting the same desire right now.

"How are you doing?" She forced instead.

"Fine."

"Would you like to come with us?" Haruka didn't even process the words before they were out.

Michiru looked at her in surprise. "It would be ridiculous even if I wanted to. I can barely move as it is, I don't think a night on the town would be something appropriate. I would scare all of your dates away."

"I don't care," Haruka whispered under her breath, unsure if Michiru heard or not.

She did, but was still unsure how to respond.

"Well, have a good night then." Haruka decided to end the uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah, you too. Have fun." Michiru directed that to all three of them.

"So, where do my two favorite girls want to go?" Sora asked as they found their way to the Cayenne.

Haruka was by the driver's door when she remembered the brown bag she was holding. She turned around and marched back inside. Michiru looked up in surprise as the door opened again.

"I forgot to give you this." Haruka raised the bag in her hand.

"What is it?" Michiru rose from the couch and came to stand by the outer kitchen counter.

"It's an 'I'm sorry for ruining your dinner' sushi from the new restaurant." Somehow Haruka deduced that the Kaioh family wouldn't stay for their dinner after their little eye opener.

"Thank you." Michiru was truly touched. Did that mean that Haruka still cared?

"Yeah, well, enjoy." Haruka put the bag in front of Michiru on the counter and made her quick escape out of the beach house for the second time that night.

**X X X**

Where they ended up going was a new club opening. None of them realized that a red carpet would be involved, but they dealt with it gracefully. Sora didn't pass up an opportunity to put his hands around the waists of his beautiful women, causing many to stare at him with a streak of envy. Nanami didn't mind, while Haruka seemed to be up for any kind of controversy nowadays.

"You changed your hair color back," Nanami said as they found an empty booth in the VIP zone.

"Yes." Haruka nodded. "I have come to terms with reality."

"Which is what?" Nanami probed, though she really didn't expect any answer.

Haruka looked at the brunette for a long moment. She wondered if Sora had let her in on everything she shared since they were engaged and, well Haruka probably wouldn't hide anything from her significant other. Even so, did she really want to confess her feelings to a woman she barely knew? Nope. Not at all.

"Which doesn't really concern you."

"Anything that concerns my sister concerns me." Nanami tried another approach.

"This doesn't concern your sister. It concerns me." Haruka watched Sora approach with their drinks, glad that he was there to save her from this inquisition.

She has had plenty of time to digest what her brother did to Michiru. Her initial reaction dulled down, even though she still could not believe he would do something like that. Then again, she would never think she would sleep with her brother's wife behind his back, yet she did. It was just a time she would like to forget at some point in her life, even though she knew that would never happen. The breaking point that made her change back was last week when she saw Michiru. More precisely, she had a change of heart when she felt the round belly touch her own taut one when they shared that kiss. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Michiru was going to give birth and it made her feel very warm and fuzzy. Strange feelings that she has never experienced in her life. As a result, she started to see a good outcome of the outrageous act - there was going to be another Tenoh that would join them at some point in the beginning of the year. Although, she wasn't sure if Michiru was going to give the baby her own last name; Haruka just hoped it would have his or her father's name.

"Earth to blondie." Sora waved his hand in front of her face.

"Yes, captain?" Haruka smiled at him.

"So, you promised to tell me what it was you came up with. You've got us out, I've got you a drink, it's your turn to keep your end of the bargain."

"Alright." She sipped on the green liquid and relaxed into the cushiony seat. "I need you to contact whoever I need to know to enter a race."

Sora, who was raising his glass to his lips, lowered it back down. "What race, Haruka?"

"F1."

Nanami's eyes widened as Sora put the glass on the table. "Are you out of your god damn mind?"

"Why?" Haruka opened her own eyes wide.

"Why would you want to enter a Formula One race?"

"I'm bored with just driving by myself. I need some competition to get the adrenalin rush back."

"What, your life became so meaningless that you need to risk it to live it happily?"

"You're being overly dramatic, Sora. Just because I want to race doesn't mean I want to die, doesn't mean I will get hurt."

"You know how many drivers get injured?"

"Who says I will be one of them?"

"Says the girl that is gravely afraid of helicopters because of one accident."

She didn't respond to that, stubbornness written all over her face.

"Your brother would turn in his grave if he knew," Sora said, regaining his composure.

"Yes, he would," she agreed. "However, he's not here and you aren't him, so stop smothering me."

"Just because I'm not him, doesn't mean that I don't care."

"Sora, I appreciate your concern, but either you help me or I find somebody else who will."

Sora honestly didn't know what to do. He didn't want Haruka to get into her spur of the moment adventure, but he also didn't want her to push him out of her life because he didn't want to help.

"You should concentrate on one thing at a time. You know how much time training takes? Who will take care of the company?"

"Sora, I've been training for years, I can handle both things."

"You'll need sponsors, you'll need a car…"

"Kaioh-Tenoh Corp. can sponsor me and I'm sure Ferrari will be happy to sell another one of their cars to me."

"I hate you, you are the most stubborn person I know."

"It's okay, Sora, I love you too."

**X X X**

Michiru was enjoying the sight of the sun rays playing in the waves from the dining table, her half-finished breakfast in front of her. She felt at peace. The tranquility was not meant to last as the doorbell chimed and broke the spell. She sighed and pushed her chair back, making the way to let whoever it was that decided to disturb her at ten in the morning in.

Not surprisingly the doorstep revealed Nanami. "Would you like to move in? It would save you a lot of travel." When she saw that Nanami was actually considering it, Michiru hurried to take her words back. "Nana-chan, I was kidding."

"Oh." Nanami closed the door behind herself and followed her sister to the table. "How are you doing this morning? How was your night? Eww… are you eating sushi with warm milk?" Nanami wrinkled her nose at the sight of a plate of sushi and a cup of steaming milk.

"Yes, that's what I felt like eating." Michiru sat back down. "Would you like some?"

"Not in that combination, it's disgusting."

Michiru laughed at her almost gagging sister. "That's pregnancy for you Nana-chan. Strangest things happen."

"Yes, speaking of strangest things, where did you get the sushi from?" Nanami cautiously took a seat on the other side of the table.

"Haruka dropped it off last night before you guys left." Michiru looked up at her younger sister. "Why didn't you say that you were going out with Haruka?"

Nanami shifted uncomfortable. "Why does it matter?"

"If it didn't matter, you wouldn't hide it."

"I didn't hide it, I just omitted it."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to upset you." Nanami lowered her eyes.

"Why would that upset me?" Michiru quizzed.

"I thought you were mad at her." Nanami looked at her sister again.

"Not really." Michiru was mad at Haruka, for quite a while. First because of the blonde being there this whole time and not letting Michiru know. Then because of her father's heart attack. Lastly, because of the restaurant scene. Although she couldn't pinpoint if it was the fact that Haruka ratted her out or the fact that Haruka was kissing another woman that made her madder. The kiss and unexpected gift of sushi did make Michiru think of better times though. Since last night she was seriously doubting that her pride was worth the relationship she could have potentially had. In the end, Haruka did choose her over her brother and Haruka wasn't the one who threw harsh words of not loving Michiru in her face, it was the other way around. In the end, Michiru knew Haruka had feelings for her and knew that it was her own fault for making things worse. She just didn't know what to do about it yet.

"Then why don't you talk to her?"

Michiru looked at Nanami wondering if she was thinking out loud. "Why doesn't she talk to me?"

"Michi, there is no reason to be as stubborn as you are. I love you, you know I do, but it was in big part your fault that Haruka left. You should be the one to approach first and say that you are sorry."

"But you should have heard her, she was so cold, so heartless when she talked about dad." Michiru protested.

"And you weren't cold and heartless when you told the woman who picked you over her twin that you didn't love her?" Nanami cocked an eyebrow.

Michiru stared at her sister who hid the fact that she was going out with the blonde but seemed to have no qualms about saying that it was all Michiru's fault. Well, it was.

"She didn't seem like she wants me back last week." Michiru used her last ammunition.

Nanami hit herself on the forehead with an open palm. "I cannot believe you two! You are so worth each other! One tries to deny what she wants to do and find any excuse possible, while the other comes up with ridiculous ideas of why her life is devoid of its former spark."

"What do you mean?" Michiru was confused about the last part.

"Haruka. I'm talking about Haruka. First that woman changes her appearance to something that is clearly not her, then she decided to attempt to date some stupid model, now she wants to enter an F1 race for more adrenalin rush."

"What?" Michiru felt very uncomfortable with the last plan.

"Yes, see how stupid that is?" Nanami waited for Michiru to nod. "Well, you are just as stupid. You both act like children and you both obviously cannot live without each other. So shove your pride aside and tell her you made a mistake. Otherwise you two will make up when you have grandchildren."

Michiru gave her sister last glance and turned back to the ocean. Nanami was right, she wasn't far from where Michiru was herself, she just needed to gather her courage and step over herself to do it. Then again, relationships are all about sacrifices, right? She could make that sacrifice.

**X X X**

It took another two weeks for Michiru to gather enough courage to act on her heart's desire. She got in the California and carefully drove to the Tenoh Estate. It didn't seem any different from the last time she had seen it, although she was sure that it was nothing like on the inside. She was a bit curious to find out what Haruka did with the place. A thought that Haruka may not be home occurred to Michiru for the first time as she made her way towards the heavy wooden door. She rang the bell and was met with silence. She repeated the motion, only getting the same result.

_Of course, why would anything be easy._ She sighed, rubbed her lower back and tried the bell for the last time. Result being the same as the previous two, Michiru turned around towards the car. The black slick shape of the beast became distorted as Michiru's head spun from a sharp jolt of pain through her spine and she was met with complete darkness.

* * *

AN: David Guetta vs. Chris Willis - "Gettin' Over" As always, the lyrics do not belong to me.


	31. Intuition

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 30**

**Intuition**

The engine revved through the loud music that bounced out of the speakers. Haruka took another sharp turn and got out on the thruway. She has not been to the circuit this whole week and felt like she needed some time between herself and the car. To her own annoyance she slept in this morning, so she was trying to make up some of that time with her speed. The thought of how busy the tracks would be by the time she got there was irritating.

She had this nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. She got it shortly after she left the house, but couldn't place where it came from. Her cell phone was there, as were her wallet and her keys. What else did she need? Despite all that, the strange feeling wouldn't go away. Haruka gave up and took the next exit, getting back on the thruway in the direction of the Estate.

**X X X**

She pulled in the driveway a short while later, surprised at the sight of California parked in front of the door until a vague memory of passing the car on her way out resurfaced from the back of her brain. The surprise left her face, replaced by fear as she saw Michiru lying by the front door. Haruka barely put the brake on before getting out of the car and running up to the unmoving form.

"Michiru! Michiru!" She grabbed her by the shoulders, but didn't get any response. She checked her pulse, sighing in relief as she felt its steady rhythm. Her next step was to check for any blood, which to her further relief there was none. Haruka picked up the unconscious woman and took her to the running car. She carefully strapped her in, making sure that the seatbelt didn't touch her belly. Next, she ran around the car and jumped in her seat, backing out of the driveway in a flash.

Haruka has never driven so fast or so recklessly before. If she ever cared about law enforcement, today wasn't one of those days. She kept jumping between other cars, occasionally entering the opposite lane, making sure that it wasn't too close - the last thing she needed was to get in a car accident. Once she got back on the thruway, she went full throttle and freed her hand from the gear stick, taking Michiru's smaller hand in her own.

"Michi, Michi, wake up." Her eyes kept switching between the road ahead and the woman in the passenger seat. "You have to hold on." She removed her hand as she spotted the right exit. "Hang on in there." Haruka dove across the other lanes of traffic to get back on the city streets.

Haruka's abrupt stop in front of the hospital's emergency entrance jolted Michiru back to consciousness. She tried to focus her vision and understand where she was when the door opened and Haruka's terrified face met hers.

"Don't you ever dare scare me like that again!" Haruka yelled, unable to hold her feelings back. She unstrapped the seatbelt and took the woman out, carrying her towards the automatic double doors bridal-style.

"H-Haruka, put me down," was the first thing Michiru was able to put together. "You will break your back."

Haruka stared at her as she kept walking. "Are you nuts? Who cares about my back? What happened? How are you feeling?"

Michiru didn't get a chance to respond as they entered the lobby and Haruka barked at the nurse behind the counter. "I need a doctor and it better be the best one you have for pregnant women."

The nurse stared at her in annoyance at the authoritative tone, but then seemed to recognize the image she had seen on television so much in the past months. Nights at the hospital, after all, could be long and boring. She decided not to argue with the powerful woman in front of her and picked up the phone, dialing for the obstetrics and gynecology doctor in charge. Once she did that, she got another nurse to show the intimidating blonde and the obviously pregnant woman in her arms to one of the patient rooms.

Haruka gently sat Michiru in the hospital bed, helping her to get out of the coat in the process. Once the coat was gone, Haruka noticed a small dark stain on the knit green dress for the first time. Her concerned eyes jumped to Michiru's, but before she could form words, the door opened again and an aging man entered the room.

"What brings you in today?" His voice was confident and level, many years of dealing with patients have taught him to never add to their fluster.

"I fainted," Michiru said, her hands trembling at the sight of the wet spot that she couldn't tear her eyes away from.

"How far along are you?" the doctor asked as he put his stethoscope against her stomach.

"Twenty-six weeks."

"Have you had any contractions?" He searched her face, making her look at him in return.

"Not that I noticed." She swallowed hard.

"Any pains?"

"My lower back hurt since this morning, but I thought it was because I couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep in." Michiru licked her dry lips.

The doctor nodded before removing his stethoscope and inspecting the clear liquid that soaked a small portion of her dress.

"You are going in preterm labor. We can still stop it, so we will admit you and confine you to bed rest for now." He saw the terror in her face and continued in his confident, reassuring tone. "Don't worry, it happens all the time, you got here in good time to stop it."

He turned to face Haruka for the first time. "Are you the father?"

Haruka hid her surprise at the question; apparently the doctor didn't have enough free time to spend watching yellow press news. Her clothing, consisting of slacks and a racing jacket, didn't give her gender away either way, so she figured his assumption was justified, considering that she bought Michiru in. Before the aquanette could force a word out, Haruka nodded her head.

"Yes, I am." She quickly glanced at the widened sapphires, warning Michiru not to say a word.

"Very well, we will take her upstairs, you can follow us in."

"Thank you."

**X X X**

Haruka sat on the edge of the bed as the last nurse left the room. Michiru was taken up to the maternity ward, where Haruka made sure she was put in a single room. An IV was connected for proper hydration and drugs that prevented contractions were administered as soon as she got there. Haruka was just happy to see Michiru lucid and seemingly healthy. All the pain of the last months, all the anger at the terrible things they have told each other seemed to fade in comparison to the fear of losing the woman in front of her. Having that reality check call, Haruka could no longer lie about the strength of her feelings towards the younger woman, even to herself.

"You scared me." She touched the porcelain cheek with her fingertips.

"Why would you be scared?" Michiru, now fully aware of everything that was going on, decided to revert back into her shell.

"Because I care," Haruka admitted. "Only you can be stupid enough not to notice that."

"Insulting me doesn't really further your cause," Michiru replied icily, but her eyes betrayed her. She was very happy to see the blonde by her side.

"What were you doing at my house?" Haruka changed the topic.

Michiru looked away, enjoying the caress of her cheek and thinking of what she was going to say when she got there, but she could no longer remember her speech. She felt the fingers still and turn her head back towards the blonde.

"I came to say that I was sorry," she finally whispered.

"Sorry for what?" Haruka asked gently.

"You aren't just going to accept that, are you?" Michiru's question sounded more like a statement.

"No, I'm not," Haruka replied anyway.

Michiru wanted to look away again, but Haruka's hand prevented her from doing so. Michiru gave up and looked into the dark emeralds. "I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it." She was still vague, even though both knew what she was referring to.

"That's not enough." Haruka shook her head.

"You were guilty too, it's not just all my fault!" Michiru hissed.

"Yes, but you were the one who came to my house, so you' get to go first."

It would be so easy to just give up again and not have this conversation, not admit to her mistakes. However, Michiru enjoyed the closeness, enjoyed the concern and support of the blonde. She didn't want to lose it again, it had gone too far as it was.

"I'm sorry that I blamed you for dad's hear attack, that was unfair. He had a heart condition we didn't know of and it has been developing over time, whatever you said to him may have tipped it over the edge, but you didn't cause his state of health."

"Okay." Haruka moved a strand of aqua hair from Michiru's face, waiting for more.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to tell between you and Haru, I should have known."

Haruka didn't really blame Michiru for that, but she accepted the apology nonetheless.

"I'm sorry for not coming clean before my parents before I accepted the arranged marriage, I could've prevented many hardships," she finally whispered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Haruka wiped the tears with her hand as she nodded, her own eyes stinging.

Michiru held her breath before she forced the last thing she was sorry for out. "I'm sorry I told you I never loved you. It wasn't true." She looked in the darkening emeralds that she missed so much. "I love you more than anyone else in the world." She took a moment before smiling evilly before Haruka could respond. "Although that may change soon, depending on when I go in labor, then you will have to share that love."

Haruka smiled back, from the bottom of her heart. As always, only Michiru and Nanami could break a perfect moment with their personality. "So long as I get some of that love, I will be fine."

Her smile caught Michiru's breath, her own eyes darkening. Haruka leaned down, stopping before her lips reached Michiru's. As her lips hovered millimeters away, she waited for Michiru to open her eyes again.

"I'm sorry I never told you that I love you," Haruka whispered once the sapphires opened, covering the luscious lips immediately after. Their sweet kiss quickly turned into a passionate one, both starved by the distance they have created between themselves, both wanting to return what they had and so much more. Soft moan escaped Michiru as Haruka deepened the kiss, blonde's lips curving slightly in satisfaction.

A clearing of a throat broke their elation. They both parted reluctantly, Haruka taking her time to straighten out.

"I see my favorite patient is doing much better," the woman in white robe joked as she approached the bed, putting a folder on the table nearby. "Silly me ran here as soon as I could to make sure that you didn't deliver prematurely, but apparently I had nothing to worry about." She looked at Haruka pointedly, making the woman move off the bed and stand on the other side reluctantly.

Michiru smiled at the doctor's fake attempt to be stern. "Ito-sensei, you are being overly dramatic."

"I wonder who I learned that from." Ito smiled at her patient who she came to like dearly in the past months.

"Ito Maki." Ito bowed to the blonde.

"Tenoh Haruka." Haruka returned the gesture.

"So, lovely, here is where we are." Ito turned back to her patient. "You are way ahead of schedule, so don't event think of trying to give birth yet. Although your babies do have a chance of survival at this stage, they would be confined to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for months and who would want that?" She took her stethoscope out and listened to the steady heartbeats.

"They?"

Both women turned to look at a stunned Haruka.

"They, the twins," Ito replied, smiling.

Haruka turned to the grinning woman in bed. "Why do I find out all the important things about this pregnancy from someone else?" Her face showed something between exasperation and joy.

"Because you haven't been close enough to find out for yourself." Michiru put some salt on Haruka's open wound.

"That was unfair." Haruka pouted.

"You're right, I'm sorry, it was," Michiru answered, regretting her words.

"Now that I'm here, do we know who it is? Boys, girls, both?" Haruka rubbed her hands in excitement.

"Ito-sensei here knows, I don't," Michiru said honestly. Ito offered to tell her, but she declined the knowledge at the time. She figured she could always change her mind. "You can be here to find out." Michiru smiled again.

"Do you want to know?" Haruka asked, taking the hand on her side of the bed in her own.

"I do if you do."

"Okay. I want to know before someone else can tell me." Haruka kissed the small hand before turning to the doctor, who was watching the exchange in silence.

"Ito-sensei?"

Ito took her time for a dramatic pause. "It's both."

Michiru felt her eyes moisten from happiness. Haruka felt her eyes moisten from another one of fate's cruel jokes. Fate broke one set of twins to bring another to this world.

"Well, at least now we know how to decorate the babies' room." Haruka smiled through her tears.

"We?" Michiru hoped she heard right.

"Hold your horses ladies." Ito finally took the reins back in her hands. "First we need to take control of this situation. Michiru-san, I would like you to stay here for at least a week, we will reassess your condition then and see if you can go home. I will monitor you closely for the remainder of today to make sure that everything goes as it should. Either way, you need to make yourself comfortable here for the time being, I'm not letting you out of my sight until I'm absolutely sure that there are no premies on my watch."

"Okay." Michiru sighed, upset at the idea of having to be in a bed, at the hospital, for that long. Even her father wasn't at the hospital for that long after his heart attack. Her father! She looked at Haruka. "I think you may need to let my family know where I am."

Haruka nodded, despite her not liking the idea. Now that they cleared things out, she wanted to be with her Michiru. Alone. Without anyone else's presence, especially without Kaito and Miho's presence. She left the room and found a quiet area to dial the number. She figured that she could get everyone there with just one call, all she had to do was reach Nanami.

**X X X**

Haruka was sitting on the side of the bed again, caressing sleeping beauty's head. The feeling of silky long hair slipping through her fingers soothed her, made her relaxed and happy. A state that was broken when the door opened and the party of four entered.

"How is she?" Nanami whispered, noting that her sister was asleep.

"She never got the contractions, so the threat is most likely over. She has to stay in bed for at least a week though," Haruka whispered back, her hand never stopping its motion. She shifted her eyes to the thin-lipped parents and sighed internally. Must she make peace with these people? She figured she would at some point, considering that she had no intention of letting Michiru go again and Michiru obviously loved her parents.

"Get away from her!" Miho didn't bother to lower her voice.

Haruka's eyes flashed with warning as Michiru stirred. She got up and turned to look at the blue eyes dazed with sleep.

"You need a moment with your family. I'll be back." She lowered her head and gave Michiru a reassuring kiss before she straightened back out and passed by the people occupying half of the room. She stopped for a second in front of Miho, locking their gazes. "Do not forget that she is in a hospital for a reason," she forced through her teeth before leaving the room.

Miho wanted to say something back, but Nanami's hand on her shoulder distracted her from doing so. Nanami shook her head, her eyes displaying the same warning Haruka's did just a moment ago. Miho clenched her fists before shaking the hand off and approaching her other daughter's bed.

Michiru watched the interaction in silence, noticing all the undercurrents. She appreciated Nanami's concern, she knew she didn't have the energy to battle with her parents about her life choices at this point. She just wanted everybody to be happy, was that too much to ask? She was truly hoping that Haruka wouldn't change her mind and come back. She wanted her to be around, didn't want to lose her again.

**X X X**

Haruka left the hospital to run a few errands. First she stopped by her office, where she grabbed her laptop, any necessary materials and the marriage certificate. Something was telling her she wouldn't be let back in that easily. She considered it for a moment before making a copy and placing the original back in the safe. Who knows, maybe she would need it. Her next stop was by the florist, followed by a toy store. She felt like a giddy child herself once she entered the store and saw all the cute toys, followed by the cute little outfits, followed by strange things she assumed new parents needed. She should have gone to an actual toy store, not a baby store, she would have saved a lot of time. As it was, she exited the store two hours later, laden with bags and with the same giddy expression on her face. Not having any space left in her sports car, she went to the Estate, unloaded her purchases and loaded the Cayenne with necessities. Her next and final stop was the beach house, where she gathered things Michiru may need; Haruka wanted her stay at the hospital to be as seamless and as comfortable as possible.

Not having any space left in the trunk, she put the last bag in the back seat and stared at it for a while. So those ugly-looking car seats were supposed to go somewhere? Hmm… they would need two of them… it seemed like Cayenne was going to be her new favorite ride for a while… there was so much shopping left to do! Her head was spinning, her adrenalin at its all new high. Who needed an F1 race when you had all this? She shut the door and jumped behind the wheel.

**X X X**

The flowers arrived within an hour of Haruka's departure. Michiru giggled at the expression on her family's faces as not one, but dozen of assorted bouquets were brought in and set all over the room. Michiru could see Haruka getting impatient at all the choices and just ordering them all to be sent. That was Haruka she knew. Michiru was content on having that woman back.

Her mother, on the other hand, was set on ruining her happy state. "Are these flowers from who I think they are from?" she asked from the chair she was presently occupying.

"Yes, mother, I assume they are from Haruka," Michiru answered, her delight still present in her features at that point.

"I want them out." Miho surveyed the vases holding different arrangements.

"I don't," Michiru replied simply.

"I'm your mother."

"And this is my hospital room, mother. If you don't like the sight of my flowers or my guests, you are welcome to leave." Michiru grew serious.

"How dare you?" Miho was offended at her daughter's forwardness.

"Mother, I am not a child anymore. I have complied with all your wishes until now and the biggest sacrifice you asked me to make almost ruined my life forever. I don't intend to simply follow what I was taught any longer, I have happiness within my reach and I won't let _anyone_ stand in my way."

"Michiru-chan, have some respect for your mother." Kaito finally stood up.

"I do. I have so much respect for both of you that I obliged with your order and married Haruko. However, if you cannot accept me for who I am, then how can you ask me for respect when you obviously have none towards me?"

"Your life choice has nothing to do with respect, it's simply unnatural," Miho replied.

"Unnatural to you, very natural to me." Michiru raised her head high, she wasn't willing to give up.

Miho shivered at the idea. "We will return to this conversation later, you need to rest right now." She looked around the room again. "You can keep your flowers."

"Thank you, mother," Michiru replied sarcastically. "We won't return to this conversation again. I love Haruka, Haruka loves me back. I intend to be with her, however unnatural that may be to you. Either you grow to accept it or… you grow to accept it." Michiru didn't really want her mother out of her life. She wanted her family to accept her for who she was, accept her relationship for what it was. Was she really asking too much?

Miho was going to say something else, but this time Kaito stopped her. "Let's go have a cup of coffee, Michiru-chan clearly needs her rest."

Michiru tried to read his expression, but couldn't. She watched her parents leave the room in silence and turned her attention to the quiet young couple.

"So, you made peace I take it?" Nanami grinned, finally feeling like she could express her happiness outwardly.

"We did."

"Took you long enough," Sora spoke up for the first time.

"Better late than never." Michiru replied, yawning.

Nanami and Sora decided to leave her to rest, stopping by the cafeteria to say goodbye to Nanami's parents. Under any other circumstances they would have stayed, but both knew that Haruka would make them leave when she got back. They decided to save the trouble and have a celebratory dinner instead.

**X X X**

It was already dark when Haruka made it back to the hospital. She made her way through the empty hallways, finding the door to Michiru's room closed. She looked through the slits in the blinds along the glass wall and saw Kaito and Miho sitting across from sleeping Michiru. The last thing she wanted to do was have another fight. She pushed the door to the side and was met with jerking of two heads, followed by abrupt rise and stumbling of two figures towards where she was standing. She sighed internally, knowing that they would not give up that easily.

Haruka stepped backwards and watched them exit the room, closing the door in their wake. Kaito signaled for both women to move away towards the elevators, where no one could hear them. Haruka really didn't see the attraction of emotional hospital scenes, she found them a bad taste, but somehow they found their way into her life as of late.

"I don't want you anywhere near my daughter." Miho tried to keep her voice down to a loud whisper.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Haruka put her hands in her pockets.

"Sure you can, you took our company away, you owe us that." Miho insisted.

"First, I didn't take your company away, I just own the majority share and there has never been anything stopping us from working that situation out. Second, my feelings for your daughter have nothing to do with the company, I will never let her go. Lastly, I don't owe you anything." Haruka's voice was even.

"If you try and go back there, we will put you in jail." Miho threatened.

"How do you intend to do that?" Haruka mused.

"Fraud," Kaito responded. "You have been pretending to be someone you are not for three months. That's fraudulent action punishable by law. They will lock you up relieving both our family and our company of your presence."

Haruka stared at them in disbelief. Did they just threaten her? Very much so. "You can try, but there is no physical evidence of fraud, no paper trail. I'm not stupid. You can go through the company records and try to find where I made a mistake, but you will waste your time."

"Many decisions were made in that time, I'm sure there is something you have missed," Kaito continued confidently.

"The decisions were made by the board, at least in their eyes and on paper. My signature is on the oRb documents, the 'go ahead' was given to Mizuki. Despite the fact that I was acting in my brother's capacity at the time, she is my attorney and those actions are protected by attorney-client confidentiality."

Kaito was surprised by how sound Haruka's logic was. He was even more surprised when she continued.

"If you drag me to court on frivolous charges, I will make sure that you stick around for a while appealing a restraining order I will get against you. This," she pulled a copy of the marriage certificate, "is the marriage certificate that has your daughter's and my name on it. Same-sex marriage may not be legal in Japan, but have fun appealing the genuine marriage certificate while I act as Michiru's spouse."

She passed the certificate for their inspection; it was truly curious. The one syllable difference in her and her brother's name was a genuine mistake, but as it was, it seemed that the certificate was given to her. After all, her and Haru did share the same birth date, same address, same description… everything except gender.

"This is just stupid," Kaito finally said.

"I agree, which is why I hoped to be able to talk about this like reasonable adults do, without petty threats."

"We are still her parents -"

"You are and I am not trying to take that away from you." Haruka was starting to lose her patience with the stubborn people. "But you cannot take her away from me either." She looked straight into Kaito's eyes. "Michiru and those kids are the only family I have left in this world and you will _not_ take them away from me. _You_ owe me that!"

She turned around and walked to the room, not wanting them to see her tears of pain. She really didn't have anyone else left in her life, that much was true.

Haruka entered the room and stood by the sleeping woman, enjoying the sight. She wiped her tears and smiled at the flowers that flooded the room, she hoped they made Michiru happy. She turned reluctantly as the door behind her opened again, watching Kaito grab their belongings, kiss his daughter's forehead and exit the room without another word. Miho accepted her coat from her husband and they both left. Haruka felt like a ton of bricks was just lifted off her shoulders. She knew the war wasn't over, but at least they could enjoy the end of this battle.

**X X X**

Michiru opened her eyes in the semi-darkness of the room. She let her eyes adjust and tried to figure out where she was. The needle inside her vein told her that she was still at the hospital, but the smell of flowers and softness of her aqua blanket pointed to being somewhere else. She turned her head to look around and figured that she was still at the hospital, although her room was completely transformed. The familiar blanket was placed carefully on top of the hospital sheet, making her feel more at home. The flowers were no longer placed sporadically, but rather occupied the bedside table and the ledge of the big window overlooking the city. What warmed her up the most was a sight of a blonde head illuminated by the light of a laptop screen. Haruka was sitting in a chair, her feet resting on a coffee table that Michiru didn't notice before. The furniture was rearranged in a living room fashion, Michiru's bed being the center of attention. The aquanette wondered how she could sleep through the movement of all that furniture, but then figured that the drugs had probably something to do with it.

"You came back," she whispered.

Haruka raised her head at the voice and set her computer down, coming to the bed. "I told you I would be back."

Michiru nodded and touched the warm cheek. "I just wanted to make sure you were real."

"Hm… I know a better way to find out if I'm real." Haruka smirked as she lowered herself into a kiss, hoping that this time they wouldn't be interrupted. She wasn't disappointed. When she ensured that the insides of Michiru's mouth didn't change from the last time she devoured them, she pulled away and smiled down. "Have I told you that I love you?"

Michiru's face lit up. "Maybe, but I like hearing you say it."

"I love you." Haruka kissed the tip of her nose, making the smaller woman giggle. "I got you something you might like."

"I already have you," Michiru teased.

Haruka was too busy pulling out a full-length body pillow to respond. Michiru's eyes widened as she realized what it was.

"Seriously, I can use you for that."

Haruka laughed. "Not in this bed you can't."

That was true - the bed wasn't wide by any means.

"Thank you.," Michiru replied as the soft cuddly form was deposited to her side. "I see you did some shopping." The color creeping up Haruka's neck didn't escape Michiru. "Haruka, how much did you shop, exactly?"

Haruka pulled out the only bag she brought to the hospital - she wanted to make sure they had supplies in case the birth was premature.

"Do you know how many things we need to get? We only have three months left! I've never realized how many things babies and their mothers need. Especially twins!" She started taking out the contents of the bag as she kept blabbering.

Michiru just watched the giddy blonde, amused and content. Tiny clothing in blue and yellow appeared on top of her blanket, followed by bibs, bottles, and other paraphernalia. Michiru broke into fits of laughter, making Haruka finally stop talking.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Ruka, we don't need half of the stuff you brought here." She smiled at her lovingly. "You're also acting like an overly excited pregnant girl."

"I may not be the pregnant girl, but my girl is pregnant, can't I be excited?" Haruka replied, suddenly finding Michiru's lips on her own.

"Of course you can." Michiru leaned back down. Then she looked at her blonde lover suspiciously. "What were you doing on the computer?"

Haruka had the look of a deer caught in the headlights.

"You were shopping?" Michiru's amusement didn't seem to have an end to it.

"I was just looking for car seats, we can shop for the rest together when you get out of here."

Michiru laughed again, this time to tears. "Tenoh Haruka looking for child booster seats for her car!" She couldn't stop herself from laughing, until she felt a tiny jolt. Her laughter stopped suddenly as she grabbed her stomach.

"Michiru, Michi, are you alright?" Haruka grew concerned right away.

Michiru grabbed her hand and put it on her stomach. "Do you feel that?"

Haruka looked at her hand then raised her wide eyes to the sapphires and nodded.

"The baby is kicking. I think they are laughing at the idea too!" Michiru broke into bolts of laughter again. Haruka simply stared at the hysterical woman, the slight movement under her hand sending a whole new flow of emotions through her system.


	32. The New Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 31**

**The New Life**

Melodic laughter spilled into the hallway through a crack of the glass door. Two women were holding their stomachs from the jokes they kept passing back and forth. The blonde was sitting in a chair next to Michiru's bed, Michiru was sitting cross-legged on top of the aqua blanket clad in velour loungewear. Haruka looked up at them from her chair deeper inside the room and smiled. Who knew Michiru and Mizuki would become friends. Michiru herself couldn't believe that she didn't like Mizuki when she first met her, although the circumstances of their meeting may have had a lot to do with it. Now, she found herself making fast friends with the woman who seemed to have a very similar outlook on life and share Michiru's sense of humor.

Michiru's hospital room had become Haruka's satellite office for the past week, which meant that her secretary was running in and out throughout the day; both Mizuki and Sora visited on business almost as often. Michiru, feeling guilty for adding hardship in the form of a hospital trip to their workdays, felt compelled to entertain them every time they came, which resulted in her getting to know Mizuki beyond the collected, albeit sarcastic, front.

"I can't believe I pay you for this." Haruka tried to sound stern, which she failed at miserably.

"I think you should pay her more for this." Michiru grinned in response.

"I think I will never take you to the office with me or you will bankrupt the company by increasing everyone's salary."

"Not everyone's, only those who matter." Michiru smiled confidently.

"Don't worry, Michiru-san, my bonus reflects everything I do for Haruka-san throughout the year. Last year's was quite satisfying and I'm expecting this year's to be simply phenomenal." She smiled brilliantly at the CEO.

Haruka gave her a warning glance which effectively wiped the smile off of Mizuki's face. Even though Haruka did pay her attorney a hefty bonus after whatever it was the woman did that Haruka still couldn't remember, she didn't want to be reminded of that constantly, nor did she want to bother Michiru with the details of her stages of denial. She got up and walked to the two women, extending a folder to Mizuki.

"Here, they are all signed, you are good to go."

"Alright." Mizuki got up and bid her goodbyes before disappearing beyond the pane of glass.

"What was that all about?" Michiru asked, patting the empty space on the bed.

Haruka took the offered seat and looked up at her girlfriend. "Nothing you need to worry about, Mizuki-san just has been very helpful, that's all."

"Helpful with what, work or lingerie shopping?" Michiru couldn't explain it, but she felt a ping of jealousy.

Haruka grimaced at the reference to Michiru's first encounter with the blonde's sense of humor at the burlesque show. "I thought you knew me better and had a bit more faith in your new friend."

"I do, which is why I smell something shady, although I do know Mizuki enough to know that she doesn't swing that way."

"Then why are we still talking about this?" Haruka sighed.

"Because I'm bored out of my brain?" Michiru gave her a lopsided smile.

"Can I entertain you with something other than senseless conversations?" Haruka gave Michiru her own version of the crooked smile.

"Maybe…" Michiru stretched the word as she inched closer to her lover.

A clearing of a throat interrupted the moment before their lips had a chance to connect.

"Ito-sensei, I swear, you have the worst timing in the world," Haruka grumbled as she stepped out of the way.

"Oh, excuse me, here I was coming to give you good news, but apparently my presence is inconvenient." She pouted. "Fine, I will come back in another week." She turned around with a fake intention of leaving.

"Don't listen to her, Ito-sensei, she's just hormonally driven." Michiru smiled.

"Don't confuse yourself with me," Haruka said before retreating back into her working cave.

The doctor chuckled at their interaction before putting a folder on top of the bedside table and getting her stethoscope out. She examined Michiru, checked her and the babies' vitals, and smiled in satisfaction.

"I will let you go home if you promise me three things."

Both Michiru and Haruka beamed at her in response.

"One. You will have a lot of bed rest and will not strain yourself." She waited for Michiru to nod, then turned for Haruka and waited until the blonde figured out that she was supposed to make sure that Michiru did that and acknowledged it with a nod as well.

"Second. I want you to promise me that you will stay away from stress in any form." She went through the same process of acknowledgement. "Third. I want you in my office once a week and if anything, I mean anything odd happens, you will call me right away." Both women nodded eagerly again.

Ito smiled and pulled some papers out of the folder. "Okay, fill these out and you are good to go."

"Now?" Haruka forced out.

"Would you like to stay extra for our wonderful lunch?"

Michiru gagged at the mention of hospital food and quickly shook her head, pulling the papers closer and extending her hand towards Haruka for a pen. Haruka produced one without any hesitation and put it in Michiru's hand. Once the papers were filled, Ito took them and gave the official go ahead. They kept staring at each other, just smiling.

"We're going home," Haruka finally said through her wide grin.

"We are," Michiru agreed.

"I have to pack all of this." Haruka looked around herself without any amusement, scratching her neck. She walked to one of the cupboards and pulled out the bag full of baby purchases she bought the day Michiru was admitted, then she unplugged her laptop and threw it inside the bag. In another three steps she was standing at the bed looking down at Michiru. "Are you ready to go?"

"What about everything else?" Michiru didn't even bother to look at all the things Haruka brought to the hospital room.

"Don't worry about it. Are you ready to go?"

Michiru nodded, the smile lighting her face again. Haruka stepped out of the room and grabbed an available wheelchair. They bid farewell to the staff and the nurses and made their way down. Haruka dialed one of her minions while they waited for the car to be brought around.

"Yeah, I need you to pack a hospital room."

Michiru watched as Haruka gave the directions, never once bothering to wait for whatever the response was. The black SUV caught her attention as it pulled in front of them.

"What happened to your cars?" She looked at Haruka as the latter pocketed her phone.

"This is my car."

"I meant the ones you actually like to drive."

"They no longer fit my whole family."

Michiru felt a knot settling at the pit of her stomach at the word 'family.' "I think we can still fit in the sports cars while the twins are riding inside."

Haruka smiled in response, helping Michiru get in the passenger seat. "Only when we don't have any purchases with us."

**X X X  
**

It occurred to Michiru at some point during the ride that they were not going towards the beach house. She surveyed the passing surroundings for a while longer before turning to Haruka.

"Where are we going?"

"Home." Haruka glanced at her quickly before returning her eyes back to the road.

"The beach house is the other way."

Haruka shook her head. "That's not our house." She gave Michiru another quick glance before continuing. "That's my and Haru's house. I know you like it, but I want a fresh start. For us, you and I. One that doesn't have any associations with it."

Michiru nodded in acceptance. "The Tenoh Estate?" She guessed.

Haruka nodded. "Yes, I think it's more fitting for a family."

Michiru was sure that Haruka's logic was sound. She has been to the estate on numerous occasions, but somehow never got past the living and dining rooms. She wondered what the rest of the house was like. She still could not think of it as her house and speculated whether she ever would. She came out of her reverie as they passed through the gates and the house grew larger. Haruka parked in front of the door and helped Michiru out.

"Are you okay to walk?" She searched the sapphires.

"I didn't forget how to walk in a week, Haruka," Michiru said with a tinge of annoyance the source of which she could not place.

"Uh hm." Haruka waved her head at the entrance. "I never want to see you on the ground again."

Michiru felt guilty for her uncalled outburst. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Haruka gave her a searching glance. "Are you ready?"

Michiru nodded and they made their way inside. Whatever Michiru remembered about the house, she did not find it there. She looked around the bright living room, taking in the new decorations until her eyes rested on the piano. She turned to look at the blonde that was propping herself against the wall.

"It's different."

"I didn't mean to say that we will live in my parents' house. I made it my house, now you can have your input to make it ours."

"I don't think I would change anything."

Haruka chuckled. "You haven't seen anything yet, so don't be so quick to judge."

Michiru cocked an eyebrow but decided to ask something that interested her far more at the moment. "Will you play for me? Or will you deny playing again?"

Haruka suddenly realized that the newly refinished wood floor had a very interesting pattern on it. Her eyes kept following the grain as her brain processed the meaning of relationship. Finally, Haruka figured that relationship meant keeping no secrets, especially ones that have already been discovered.

"I'm very bad at externalizing my feelings." She finally looked up to the sapphires. "I've always been better at avoiding things." She chuckled dejectedly while walking to the bench and taking a seat.

Michiru watched her in silence, finally deciding to lower herself down into a nearby chair as well.

Haruka opened the keys and looked at them for a long moment before raising her eyes back to the sapphires. "Look where all of this avoidance got us."

"Not that bad of a place from where I'm sitting." Michiru smiled shyly. "I have you."

"But at what cost." Haruka didn't break their eye connection as her right hand reached the keys and played the tune Michiru heard the first time she walked in on the blonde playing. "When you heard me play… I was remembering my childhood."

Michiru nodded as the music died down. "Yes, I understood. The happiness, the love, the loss. You made me smile and cry like no one has ever done before. It was beautiful."

Haruka nodded. "The second time…" She started playing inattentively just like with the first piece, but soon turned fully to the piano and became consumed by the melody.

Michiru watched as the immensely painful tune turned into a raging one; Haruka fully becoming consumed by her feelings. The difference between the last time and this time was the intensity of the rage. That and the fact that Michiru knew where it was coming from.

"The second time I walked in on you, you were thinking of Haru," she said quietly, but Haruka heard. Michiru walked up to the pianist and moved the blonde strands that fell in the green eyes away. "Why are you still mad at him?"

Haruka's hands froze over the keys. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Michiru kept caressing the blonde hair. "You went through a phase when you changed the way you looked. I assume that it was because you were mad at him and did not want a constant reminder." She turned the palm of her hand, studying the golden tresses. "I also assumed that when you went back, you made peace with him."

The strand slipped out of her grip as Haruka turned her head. "How can I?" Her eyes no longer had the disgust or hate Michiru saw when she mistakenly blamed Haruka for what happened. Instead, they were full of pain.

"You just do." She lowered her hand to Haruka's cheek. "I did."

Haruka covered the smaller hand with her own as she shook her head. "How can you forgive something like that? What he did to you… that was inhumane."

"It was… I did my best to forget it and pretend that it never happened, until I found out that I was pregnant, until I blamed you for what he did… After you left, it was out, I couldn't pretend anymore, so I dealt with it. Haruka, what we did to him was not much better… I can't avoid thinking that he just snapped. It in no way excuses him, not in my eyes, but he gave me something I never thought I would have." She smiled as tears spilled over her cheeks despite her resolve to stay strong.

Haruka wiped the warm liquid with her hands as she felt her own eyes stinging. Michiru reached for one of the hands on her face and moved it to her stomach.

"This is why I made peace with what happened. This is why you should make peace with your brother."

Haruka pulled Michiru closer and laid her head on the stomach, letting her tears penetrate the soft velour. She felt Michiru's hands dig into her hair, holding her in a tight embrace.

"One day," she whispered before kissing the place where her head just laid. "One day I will make peace with him."

**X X X**

Michiru learned quite quickly that her worry about living in the Tenoh Estate was unfounded. The house was nothing like she remembered it to be, and she loved it once she explored it beyond the limited preview she has gotten while she visited it on previous occasions. What she loved the most, was the indoor pool. At her twenty-eighth week of pregnancy, Michiru felt like she was enormous. In addition to that, her body ached constantly and she was always trying to find a comfortable position. The weightless feeling that she got every time she entered the pool was priceless; the ability to swim every day was something she fast started to treasure.

It has been a week since she was allowed to leave the hospital. A week that was spent shopping, redecorating a bedroom adjoined to the master suite, and constantly being taken care of by Haruka or Nanami. Haruka stayed in the house as much as she could, but when she had to attend a meeting, Nanami was called to keep an eye on Michiru, who gave up protesting after the first couple of days. Sora and Mizuki visited as much as they did at the hospital; the only people that were yet to show up were Michiru's parents.

Michiru tried inviting them over, but that conversation with her mother turned back to the subject of living with Haruka and ended with Michiru crying, so Haruka forbade any future call unless they involved no stress. Naturally any conversation with Miho involved stress for Michiru, so the aquanette has not talked to her mother in the past five days. It bothered her, but what could she do? Haruka was right in saying that her health and the health of the twins was more important than Miho and Kaito's acceptance at the moment.

Michiru sighed as she made another loop with her knitting sticks. Haruka looked up at her girlfriend as she heard the deep sigh and furrowed her brow. She knew what Michiru was stressing about and wanted to strangle both of her parents. Unfortunately, that would not help the situation. The sound of a doorbell broke her concentration, she winked at Michiru as she walked to the entrance hall and opened the door. A few thoughts crossed her mind as she saw who was standing on her door step. They ranged from wondering whether her frustration willed him here to pondering on what she could do to him without making Michiru feel worse.

"We need to talk."

Haruka looked at Kaito for a short moment before closing the door in his face. She walked back to the living room and handed Michiru the phone from a nearby table.

"Call me if you need anything. I just need to step out for a moment."

Michiru looked at her in confusion. "Who was that?"

"A business associate." Haruka smiled reassuringly before dipping down and giving Michiru a soft kiss. "I will be back soon."

Haruka walked back out and was rather surprised to find him standing in the same spot where he was when she shut the door. She closed the door securely and motioned towards the path that led to the garden.

"What is it?"

Kaito finally came out of his stupor and followed her away from the house. They walked in silence until they reached a small tea house and Haruka motioned for him to sit down.

"I'm listening." She took a seat as well and looked at him, trying to reel in her anger.

"I came to make you a proposition." Kaito decided to get straight to the point.

"What kind of proposition?" Haruka eyed him wearily.

"It may come to you as a surprise, but I'm not nearly as traditional as my wife." He looked out at the trees that have already lost their leaves before continuing. "Mi-chan has always been the traditional one, in every sense of the word. That includes same sex relationships."

Haruka's ears perked up as he neared the subject she herself was eager to breach.

"I've known that you are gay for as long as your parents have, Haruka-chan, and trust me, it's been a long time." He looked at her surprised expression. "What I didn't know was that Michi-chan felt the same way." He shook his head at his own thoughts. "I just never saw any signs. It wasn't until you kissed her and I saw her respond that I realized the full meaning of your words about the marriage, about us being blind. You were right, we were, but that's water under the bridge."

Haruka stopped breathing for a moment. Did Kaito just admit to being wrong about something? She felt like pinching herself.

"I can see that Michi-chan loves you and she will not back down. Unfortunately, Miho is too… traditional to see the relationship that you have as something she can accept. This is where I come in." He locked his gaze with the emeralds. "I will do everything I can to change Miho's mind if you transfer Michiru's stock back to me."

_And welcome back Kaito._ Haruka sneered as she rose. "Are you trying to sell your daughter's relationship with her mother for a deciding share in the company?"

"No, I'm making you a deal, according to which the balance of power within the company will be restored, i.e. you and I, or, to be exact, my family, will have equal shares and the board of directors will swing the pendulum. I believe it is fair, especially for someone who claims to love my daughter."

Haruka did love his daughter. A thought that she would give her entire ownership in the company for a chance of being with Michiru came to mind, but that was not what they were discussing. She already had Michiru, it was about Michiru's parents' acceptance of what they had, and it was a fair offer. Kaito wasn't trying to take anything away from her, even though he could. For the first time Haruka felt some respect towards the man she wanted to strangle just a short while ago.

"Alright, I'll take your deal, although I have a feeling that you have some tricks up your sleeves as to what you will do once you are back in the saddle."

Kaito gave her an honest smile. "You know kid, you are arrogant and full of yourself, but you have brains and balls. I've been watching you over the past few months and you have proven yourself. You even kept it up while living at the hospital, which is why I know that you can manage that company and that you care about it. However, I will put you back in the VP place when I get my equal share restored and take your current chair."

Haruka narrowed her eyes, wishing she could take her promise back, but knowing that it was pointless - she wanted Michiru to be happy.

Kaito laughed at her pissed expression. "It's not about overpowering you," He grew serious. "You'll need more time for those kids when they come around - I hear Tenoh twins are a handful."

They looked at each other for a long time before they shared their first genuine smile, both finally realizing that they had a joyful ride ahead of them.

**X X X**

_February 5  
Tenoh Estate, Tokyo_

"H-a-r-u-k-a!" Michiru yelled as another contraction almost doubled her over, but for the fact that she couldn't bend at all. "Unless you want me to give birth in the middle of the entrance hall, you need to get your ass down here!"

Haruka appeared at the top of the staircase, carrying a bag full of baby items and a camera. "Sorry, but we can't forget anything, we've waited for so long!"

Michiru just gave her a death glare, which propelled Haruka to fly down the stairs and stop only briefly to half-hug Michiru and help her out of the house. They got in the car and Haruka's leaded foot hit the gas pedal. Once they got on the highway, she pressed the buttons on the dashboard and dialed Ito's phone.

"_Moshi moshi." _

"Tenoh family, we're on our way to the hospital."

"_Alright, I will meet you there."_

Next, Haruka dialed Nanami's phone.

"Is it time?" was the greeting Nanami used for the past month.

"Yes, call the troops, we're on our way to the hospital," Haruka barked before disconnecting.

"You really should be nicer to people," Michiru forced as she tried to steady her breathing.

"I can be very nice… to you." Haruka gave her a smile that made Michiru forget whatever it was she was complaining about.

They made their way to the hospital, where Haruka continued on her quest of making the world revolve around Michiru. Those who dared to disagree or not oblige were met with Haruka's wrath and Michiru's attempts at reigning in the blonde. By the time Ito entered the room, Michiru was cursing and Haruka was yelling at a nurse to give her girlfriend an epidural.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted it to be all natural," Ito said levelly as she approached her patient.

"I-t-o-s-e-n-s-e-i," Michiru growled through another contraction. "I don't care, I just want the pain to go away!"

"It won't sweetie, not for a while."

"Are you enjoying her suffering?" Haruka narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Oh no." Ito shook her head. "I just can't administer the epidural, her contractions are too close. You can hold her hand though, it will help her to pass some of that strain along."

Haruka stared at the doctor in annoyance for another moment before approaching the bed and taking Michiru's hand.

"I'm sorry love, I promise, you will never have to do this again."

"N-n...ot… funny." Michiru squeezed Haruka's hand as she gasped.

Haruka almost yelped in pain herself, but concentrated on removing the wet aqua strands from Michiru's face instead.

"Your family is here, would you like them to come in?" One of the nurses looked in the room.

"He...ll… no." Michiru answered, her relatives were the last thing she wanted near right now. The only person she wanted to be there was currently turning pale from the lack of circulation in her hand.

Haruka did her best to help Michiru go through the delivery, which in part consisted of not fainting at the view that met her on the other side of the bed. Having that dramatic experience, Haruka made her way back to Michiru's head and continued holding her hand as Michiru pushed, clinging to Haruka for her dear life. That strong hold eased and tears streamed down both women's faces as they heard the first cry of a newborn baby girl. It was followed by another cry shortly after.

Haruka lowered her head and kissed Michiru deeply, not caring about the presence of others in the room. They parted after a long moment and Haruka wiped their tears off. "I love you."

"I love you back." Michiru smiled up at her blonde lover before directing her attention back to the two bundles on the side.

**X X X**

Outside the room Nanami and Miho took turns pacing up and down the hallway, Sora watched them in amusement, while Kaito sat in a chair thinking of the previous time he waited for the addition to the Tenoh family. He would never admit to how much he was hurt by the loss of his friends, how much he was affected by their child's death and another child's suffering. He could remember the day the twins were born like it was yesterday. Could remember Riku pacing the hallway. His lips curved into a small smile at the memory of Nariko's confidence that she would have a girl. She did, and that girl was his family now. He never told her and would probably need a lot more time to find it in himself to do so, but he loved that girl, just like he loved his daughter. Always did and always would.

His thoughts were interrupted as a nurse opened the door and invited them in. None of them needed a second invitation as they piled inside the room. Michiru was sitting in bed, holding a small bundle, while Haruka, standing next to the bed, was holding the other.

"Awww, they have brown hair," Nanami whined.

Haruka stared at her in disbelief. "What did you want, one of them to have aqua hair and the other one to have blonde?"

"Something like that." Nanami grinned.

"We already got twins, and we got a boy and a girl, how many miracles do you want?"

"You're so boring, Haruka-san." Nanami pouted before she leaned closer to her sister and her heart melted. She no longer cared about trivial things such as hair color.

"Did you come up with the names?" Kaito asked as he touched a small cheek of the newborn in Haruka's arms.

"Yes." Michiru nodded. "This is Kin-chan, and you're touching Aoi-chan." She smiled proudly.

"You named your kids after your favorite colors? How lame is that?" Sora tried to look at the little boy over Haruka's shoulder.

"You can name yours whatever you want, when you have them." Haruka scowled at her friend over her shoulder.

Sora raised both of his hands up in defense and joined his fiancée and her mother by Michiru.

"Can I hold him?" Kaito asked gently.

Haruka looked in his eyes before putting the small bundle in his hands. Kaito cradled the baby and looked from one small wrinkly red face to the other. "Well, Tenoh Aoi and Tenoh Kin, welcome to the family."

Haruka looked at Michiru, both grinning from ear to ear. This was the day. Through all the tears, through all the soul-tearing torment and pain, through all the mistakes, they made it here. To this day. The happiest day of their lives.


	33. It's All About Us

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 32**

**It's All About Us**

_Three Months Later_

Soft moans filled the large master suite as the two bodies entwined themselves in the bed. Haruka left Michiru's collarbone and moved her mouth towards one of the full breasts, letting her tongue play with the perky nipple. She felt Michiru's hands reach for the blonde tresses as she arched in pleasure. Haruka moved to the side, freeing one of the hands she used to support herself with to slide down Michiru's side and allowing her fingers to enter the depths of Michiru's sex. Her thumb found the sensitive spot as her fingers slid in and out. A deep sensual moan left Michiru's throat before she pushed Haruka into the bed and covered the long body with her own.

"Who said you were in control of this game?" She cocked an eyebrow before covering the bruised lips with her own and starting another battle for dominance. Satisfied at being able to reach the depths of Haruka's mouth, she moved down to Haruka's chest and gave it the same attention Haruka gave hers. Michiru's next stop was a patch of curly blonde hair that made Haruka buckle from pleasure.

They continued the sweet torture until both were panting heavily, no longer able to send each other sly grins. Haruka flipped Michiru on her back and gave her a short hungry kiss.

"Can I take control now?"

Michiru nodded as Haruka nibbled on her ear. Haruka smiled in satisfaction and lowered herself down. An angry cry overpowered their moans and stilled them both. Haruka turned her head and stared at the baby monitor.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Michiru turned her gaze back from the monitor to the blonde and let her head fall to the pillow, laughing at the expression on Haruka's face.

Haruka looked into the laughing eyes and cocked an eyebrow. "You find it funny?"

Michiru nodded. "Yes, your expression is priceless."

"Well, your son just interrupted a moment."

"_My_ son?" Michiru faked a shocked expression. "He is _your_ son too. Besides, how do you know its our son and not our daughter?"

Haruka got off the bed as she answered. "They have different cries, his is angrier."

Michiru chuckled. "Yes, _your_ son indeed."

Haruka scowled at her before walking to the bathroom to wash her hands and splash her face with cold water. Thirty seconds later she was standing next to a crib, picking up the source of her distraction and holding him close. She checked his diaper, making sure that it was still clean, and rocked him back to sleep. She turned at the intense gaze Michiru was giving them from the door frame. Haruka raised her brow questioningly.

Michiru shook her head. "I'm just enjoying the view," she whispered finally. "I never get tired of this." She smiled as she watched Haruka put the sleeping bundle back in the crib.

"So, where were we?" Haruka towered over the robe-clad Michiru, whose eyes darkened in return.

**X X X  
**

_Another Month Later  
June 3_

Michiru sat on the rug in the living room, watching the twins stare at the toys they had in their hands. She enjoyed watching their progress day to day. Her attention finally got back to the pianist who was playing a sad melody. Michiru smiled thoughtfully at her blonde lover; it's been almost six months since she last heard her play anything that even resembled anger, and it made Michiru happy. Although, she secretly wished Haruka was no longer sad either.

"You should've played for a living."

Haruka's fingers hovered above the keys for a second before she turned her whole body to face Michiru. She shook her head. "I like what I do. This is just personal." She thought for a moment before continuing. "Do you think you can accompany me with your violin for some of the songs I've written?"

Michiru was taken aback. "I would love to." She checked that the twins were okay and walked up to the blonde. "Why?"

Haruka circled Michiru's waist before resting her chin on the taut stomach and looking up at the sapphires. "I want to give a concert in memory of my family… and Haru. I want you to accompany me in doing so."

"You think they can't hear you play when you are here?"

Haruka chuckled. "It's not that, I want to play at the oRb. I want to dedicate something to them."

Michiru's features softened in a loving smile. "Why do I have a feeling it's not just the concert you want to dedicate to them?"

"That's because you know me too well." Haruka returned the smile. "I want to build a concert hall in their name and play for the first performance there. Today. Next year."

"Then I better get my violin out." Michiru watched as the greens filled with tears of appreciation. She leaned down and gave Haruka a reassuring kiss.

**X X X**

_June 2  
A Year Later_

"_Michiru!_ We are late, come on!" Haruka readjusted the child she was holding in a more comfortable position as she checked her watch for the umpteenth time. "Your mommy is constantly late, Aoi-chan." She ruffled his dark hair as he nodded in agreement.

They both turned as Michiru appeared at the top of the steps with her daughter. "I'm sorry, I had to change Kin-chan."

"Okay, let's _go_." Haruka motioned with her hand, a movement Aoi copied perfectly.

Michiru chuckled at the sight as she made her way down. "Honey, the plane will not leave without us - we own the plane."

"The corporation owns the plane and it's still not nice to make people wait." Haruka grimaced in return.

"Since when do you care about people waiting?" Michiru's eyebrow went high up.

"Since your mother started talking to me again." Haruka closed the door behind them.

Kaito was true to his word, so he did everything in his power to change his wife's mind on the subject of Haruka and Michiru's relationship. Unfortunately, even he had limits to his powers, his spouse being one of them. Miho visited Michiru often while she was pregnant and after she gave birth, but on the condition that Haruka would not be there. In time that condition seemed to evaporate and Haruka was even invited to the family events at the Kaioh Manor, but Miho ignored her as though the blonde was not present. Haruka was annoyed by the treatment at first, but then figured that not having fights with the woman every time she saw her was a good thing, so she just did the same - ignored Miho and just enjoyed the time with the rest of her family.

It was the day of Nanami and Sora's wedding that Miho finally spoke to Haruka. It was the combination of everything the older woman had seen in the past year and a half: the way Haruka took care of Michiru, the way she showered her in love, the way she loved the twins; and the vivid reminder of the mistake they made when they asked Michiru to marry Haru. It made Miho accept things as they were, whether they were to her liking or not. Haruka was everything she ever wished for Michiru, even if she was a woman.

"I don't think she will stop talking to you because we are late." Michiru smiled as she put the child in a car seat.

"I don't want to play with the old devil." Haruka grinned as she mirrored Michiru's motions from the other side of the car.

"Did you take my violin?" Michiru asked as she sat in the passenger seat.

"Yep. Violin is on top of the luggage in the back." Haruka put her seatbelt on, checked that the kids were properly strapped in and sped out of the driveway.

**X X X**

It was nothing like the last time she was here. Michiru hasn't stepped on the island in two years and was surprised at how different it was. She had some apprehension about going to the place that served as venue for so much hurt, but she knew that Haruka needed her to do it. It was their way to finally lay what happened to rest, to make peace with everything. It had to be here, so Michiru put her apprehension aside and breathed in the salty air.

It was a beautiful summer day, the sun was high up in the blue sky, the waves hit the shore in a steady soothing rhythm. They made their way from the dock towards one of the smaller, newer hotels. Once they were settled in, Haruka took Michiru and the kids on a tour around the island, which amazed the aquanette and exhausted the twins. They carried them back to the room and left them with Nanami.

Haruka wrapped her arm around Michiru's waist, carrying the violin case in the other. They made their way to the concert hall to do a final run through the concert they had been practicing for the past year. Neither doubted the other's abilities as a musician, but they both were nervous because of the meaning that the concert held to them.

It was a private event, which was a simple thing to do, considering the nature of their venue. Haruka personally handled all the arrangements since Sora, who would have ordinarily done so, was a bit busy honeymooning around the world with his new wife. Haruka has never heard of a two-month long honeymoon, but she gave him the praise he deserved for doing it nonetheless. The newlyweds returned shortly before the scheduled concert, both of them understanding the full meaning of the event, as well as the return to the island.

Haruka made her way between the rows of seating. The hall looked like an amphitheater more than anything else and had the ability to become one, since the roof was meant to open when so desired. The rows were slightly curved to allow for a full view of the stage from every point, the seats were simple, modern and comfortable. Haruka helped Michiru get on the stage, taking a few low steps. They both looked at the empty room, knowing full well that it would be filled with friends, family, and other people who knew the tragically deceased next time they were there.

It looked beautiful, but not in the traditional sense of a grand theatre. It was simple, eco-friendly, and tasteful. There was not a single line, not a single curve that didn't serve a purpose. Michiru admired the sight, knowing that behind all this apparent simplicity lay the most advanced technologically designed concert venue she has ever been to. She was there through the endless meetings Haruka had with the architects, structural, lighting, and sound engineers. She knew that the acoustics of this hall had a potential of carrying and amplifying the sound without any enhancements or use of technology, as well as an ability to accentuate the sound coming from the stage to any degree, especially once the roof was open.

Michiru turned to Haruka, thrilled about finally having the chance to try it out. Haruka smiled at her aquanette lover and ruffled her hair.

"Here, play around with it." She passed the violin case to its owner.

Michiru set the case on the floor and gingerly took her Dolphin out. She checked the strings before putting a soft cloth on violin's bottom and setting it under her chin. Haruka watched in silence as the first sounds of music filled the building she designed for her deceased family. It warmed up her heart that Michiru had it in her to come and play there, despite everything that happened to her in that place, despite everything that the Tenoh family has put her through. She still came to play for them. Haruka was absolutely and entirely lost in the moment, not noticing the tears in the corners of her forest green eyes.

**X X X**

Haruka looked through the curtain at a full hall and sighed. She put her hand in her pants' pocket as soon as she noticed it shaking.

"You'll be fine." Michiru smiled from behind her, massaging the tense shoulders.

"Easy for you to say, you do it all the time."

"Just picture your audience naked."

Haruka turned her head around, mocking a shocked expression. "Eww, Michiru, then I won't be able to play at all. There are old people in there, there are men in there… although there are also some hot women, so that may bring my spirits up… ouch." She stopped her mockery as Michiru's fingers dug in a bit too deep into her shoulders.

"Then why don't you close your eyes instead and pretend that there is no one there?" Michiru said slowly.

"Are you saying this because you're jealous of what I can imagine?" Haruka smiled in mirth.

"Nah, I will take the kids away if you ever cheat on me, so what's the point of being jealous of something that will never happen?" Michiru baited.

"A little overconfident these days, are we?" Haruka cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, if you don't love me enough to not be stupid, I know that you love our kids too much to do something silly and lose them, so my statement was more about them and less about us."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"So what do I have to level the field? Seems a bit unfair to me, you threatening to take the kids away, I don't have anything I can take away from you. It's not fair."

Michiru cupped Haruka's cheek as the sapphires locked with emeralds. "You have you, silly. I will never want to lose you, so why do you need a level field?"

"Because the love of my life is throwing petty threats at me."

"You started."

"You were the one who mentioned naked audience."

"Oh my god, how do your kids stand the two of you?" Nanami looked at both of them in despair. "I've been watching you for two minutes and I already feel sorry for myself."

"They are too young to understand our banter," Haruka replied simply. "And no one is forcing you to listen."

"Yeah, well I wanted to wish you luck." Nanami grimaced.

"Thanks." Haruka hugged her almost sister-in-law and kissed her on the temple.

"Now see, a couple of years ago I would take that as an offense." Michiru smirked at them, secretly delighted at the fact that the two found common language.

"A couple of years ago you were stubborn and stupid." Nanami hugged her sister.

"I agree with Haruka, you should go back to your seat."

"I am." Nanami grew serious. "Don't worry about anything, and if you do, just look in the first row, where those two fascinatingly adorable babies are sitting in their grandparents' laps. They will make you remember all the good things."

Haruka smiled, turning Nanami around and pushing her towards the exit off of the stage. "Thanks, kiddo, we will remember that."

Haruka turned as the first round of applause signaled that it was their time to make an appearance. She turned around and looked at the soothing blues.

"Ready?" Michiru gave her a small peck on the lips.

"As ready as I will ever be." Haruka took Michiru's hand and they walked out on the stage.

**X X X**

They bowed to the full hall, waiting for the audience to settle down and bring the large room back to silence. Haruka reached for the microphone and took it in her hand, not letting the other out of Michiru's strong hold. She surveyed her surroundings before speaking.

"Two years and two days ago I held a microphone on another stage set up on this island. The geographic location and the device in my hand are the only two constants between these occurrences. Just like today, that day my other half stood on stage with me, addressing our guests... My brother had been my other half most of my life, we have always considered ourselves two parts making one whole… I have lost that part of me and almost lost myself two years ago. If it wasn't for the woman standing next to me tonight and for our beautiful children who have no idea what I'm saying, I wouldn't be here today."

Haruka turned to Michiru, their eyes locking for a lingering moment. "I want to thank you for caring enough to step into the empty space that was left in my soul and helping me pick up the pieces of myself together, I will love you eternally for that." Haruka squeezed the small hand before turning back to their audience.

"Tonight is not about me and Michiru, however, tonight is about the only family I had known two years ago, the family that was taken away from all of us in a tragic accident. I have blamed enough people for the occurrence, starting with myself, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how much control we think we have in life, we are mistaken. None of us were at fault for what happened because none of us could see it coming. Such is the nature of tragedy." Haruka took a moment to breathe, knowing that she had to stop talking if she wanted to have any composure left by the time she got to the grand piano behind her.

"The music you will hear tonight was composed for my family, people you all knew and cared for in one way or another. It is a dedication that I want to make in their memory as we open this concert hall, built in their name. I wish for all three of them to eternally enjoy the music that comes from this stage." She put the microphone back in its place and walked to the piano, only letting go of Michiru's hand when the smaller woman had to take the violin that rested on top of the piano out of its case.

They shared a quick glance that was filled with emotion and didn't require any words. They both knew how painful it was to let go of what happened and how satisfying it would be once they could get on with their life at the same time. Michiru took a few steps away from the grand piano, waiting for Haruka to begin. Soft notes filled the hall as Haruka started the introduction, picking up the pace as Michiru joined her.

The music filled her entire core. She no longer cared that there was an audience, she didn't need to picture them naked. What she pictured instead were three people standing on the other side of the black piano, smiling at her. Her father held his hand around her mother's waist, Nariko leaning into the embrace like she had always done. Haru stood next to them, his sardonic face teasing her about playing in public. How she wanted them to hear this when they were alive, how she hoped that they could hear her beyond her imagination. She said her goodbyes to her parents and their images disappeared from her view, only her own reflection still standing by her side. Haruka closed her eyes, trying to erase all images in her head, but the forest green eyes lingered in front of her own. As much as she hated him for what he had done, she couldn't let go. Warm tears trickled down her cheeks as her fingers quivered, but didn't skip a beat. She told Michiru that one day she would forgive him a while back. That day has come, because today she felt like she wanted him to be there, no matter what happened in the past. She wanted him by her side, wanted him to be a part of her life. Because no matter how much she loved Michiru, her lover would never take her twin's place.


	34. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Haruka and Michiru's characters, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters and this story belong to me.

* * *

**Epilogue**

_June 5  
Boston, Massachusetts_

Sora looked out of the window of the modest apartment at the cars passing by on the street. He was still jet lagged from the long flight and the time difference. No matter how many times he traveled across the world, he couldn't get used to it. He heard the sound of a key turning and stepped deeper into the shadows of the living room. The door opened and a lamp on the side of the room illuminated the surroundings in a soft yellow glow. He waited for the owner of the apartment to set the grocery bags in the kitchen and return to the room before he made his presence known.

They stared at each other for a long time before the emeralds momentarily lowered to the ground in defeat. "Sora. What are you doing here?"

"Visiting the dead." Sora's tone was even.

"How did you find me?"

"You made the mistake of coming to the concert."

"That still doesn't explain how you found me."

"I'd think that you know me well enough to expect nothing less, Haru."

Haru nodded before walking to the window and propping himself against the frame. "Sit down."

Sora accepted the invitation and took a seat in a black leather chair. They looked at each other, searching for any changes the past two years brought and not finding any.

"What are you doing?" Sora finally forced.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. What are you doing, Haru? The world thinks you're dead."

Haru nodded slowly. "Yes, I know."

"Why?"

"Because I owe it to her."

"You owe what to who?" Sora thought he would never have to drag anything out of a Tenoh twin again in his life, but boy was he mistaken.

Haru hid his face in the palms of his hands before he wrapped his arms on top of his chest. "I owe it to Haruka. I wanted her to be happy."

"Happy? You think her thinking you're dead made her happy?" Sora's voice rose despite his desire to control himself. "She cried in my lap, Haru. Haruka, the girl that was made out of material you couldn't bend was crying in my arms after she shattered like a piece of glass. You call that happy?"

Haru flinched from the image of his sister crying on any man's lap, but stood his ground. "That may be so, but she is happy now, isn't she?"

"She will always miss you."

"That's not what I asked."

"Yes, she's happy."

"There you have it."

"Haven't you heard her speech? I think she put her pain out there pretty plainly."

"She also put it out there that Michiru took my place. They are happy Sora, that's all that matters."

Sora shook his head in disbelief. "So you faked your own death for your sister's chance at happiness?"

"Not exactly." He sighed as he made a decision to share what happened with at least one person in the world. Might as well be the one his sister confided in. "I came to the penthouse that bloody morning. I was starting a new life after I behaved in a way I never thought I could."

Sora nodded, knowing exactly what the blonde meant.

"I came to ask her to leave. I needed time to adjust, time to heal and time to find some kind of forgiveness from Michiru. I knew Haruka felt guilty enough to agree to my request and she did. What I didn't expect was that she told our parents everything and that they were going to talk to Kaiohs. I knew that they wouldn't take it well and decided to back our parents up. I drove to the helipad, but I was too late." He closed his eyes, remembering the awful events of that morning, taking a pause. "I walked to the command center to find out if they already departed or if they didn't get there yet. That's when they saw the helicopter disappear from the radar. I was there as the first reports of the explosion reached the control center."

Sora watched Haru rub his face again, finally sliding down to the floor and dropping his hands on his knees. "I didn't know what to do. I was in a state of shock. So I walked out of there and just kept on walking. For hours. I finally realized that people have been calling me that whole time and found the only message that mattered - the one from Haruka." He wiped the tears that collected in the corners of his eyes. "She begged me to call her back and tell her that I wasn't on that helicopter. I never did. It all came together in my mind after I listened to that voicemail. I wanted a new life, I wanted to step away and allow her to be happy and I had a perfect opportunity to do so. If I stayed, she would never fully relent. She would always feel the guilt about what she did, and then she would hate me when she learned of what I did to Michiru. I didn't want it to be a three-way relationship, I wanted it all to be about us, but it no longer was, so I made it be that way, if only for myself. I left so that she could forget about us and think about them. It worked," he whispered the last part.

Sora stared at the sorrowful frame of his friend. "You two have the most outrageous reactions to dealing with a disaster. You leave and pretend that you died, she pretends to be you to bring you back to life. As much as it is ironic, it's pathetic." Sora has had it with their stupidity right about then. "You both need each other to exist in perfect harmony with the world, but you always choose the easiest way out. For yourself, not the other person. You didn't do this for her, you ran away from your own mistakes, from your own guilt, so that you didn't have to deal with the effect of your own actions."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it? Then how come you didn't come back once they found happiness? If that was all you wished for Haruka?"

"And ruin whatever peace she had? No." He shook his head to further his point.

"They have forgiven you. Michiru has forgiven you, Haruka has forgiven you, you are the only one who cannot forgive yourself for what you did, so you banish yourself and drown in your guilt."

"How can I forgive myself, Sora?" Haru got up and started pacing in agitation. "If I were Haruka, I would kill me for what I did."

"She did."

Haru spun around. "What?"

"She did kill you when she found out. She colored her hair and started wearing dresses, but she found her way back. So can you."

Haru shook his head stubbornly. "No, I can't. They have a new life, a happy life, and I'm not part of it. Nor will I ever be."

"Have you seen the twins?" Sora waited for the shocked expression and wasn't disappointed.

"The twins?"

"Yes. Michiru gave birth to twins last year. A boy and a girl."

Haru stared at his friend from the past for a long while, forcing his jaw to come back up and close. He did hear Haruka refer to children, but he had no idea what she was talking about. Until now.

"That's how they have forgiven you, Haru. You gave them something they would never have otherwise. Those kids brought them back together from the depths of their self-destruction. You should help yourself to do the same."

Haru sat down on the sofa and studied his hands. "I'm very happy for them."

"They are your children." Sora said softly.

Haru shook his head. "No, they are their children. It's just another reason not to go back."

"That's not how I meant it."

"I know."

Sora was desperately trying to find something else that would convince his friend to change his mind, but knew that it was fruitless. Whatever connection they've had was severed when Haru decided to abandon the world he knew and run away to the other end of the globe. Sora needed time to fix that connection; time he didn't currently have. He rose and reached for a photo in his pocket, puling it out, he set it on the coffee table in front of Haru.

"I will be at the Nine Zero until tomorrow night. Let me know if you change your mind."

Haru looked at the photograph showing his wife and his sister, each holding a brown-haired, blue-green-eyed child in matching outfits. They looked as content as he has ever seen them and a tinge of yearning pierced through his heart before he shook it off and looked up at Sora.

"Thank you. For coming."

Sora nodded, knowing that he would not see his friend tomorrow and wondering when he would see him next. "You are welcome."

Haru got up and hugged his friend with all the emotion he wasn't willing to show. Sora patted him on the shoulder before they separated and he left the apartment, leaving a hurting half of the Tenoh twins behind.

**X X X  
**

_Three Days Later  
Aoyama Reien, Tokyo_

The two brunette children where awkwardly running down the gravel covered lane. They were dressed in khakis, yellow shirts and beige sandals. They were picture-perfect: not only were their looks mirrored, but so where their movements. To all they looked like they were racing each other, to them, well, they were too young to analyze what they were doing.

"So where did you disappear to all of a sudden the day after the concert?" A woman in her late twenties asked the friend she was walking with. She was tall and well-built, with sandy blonde hair and deep emerald green eyes. Her eyes were following the children with a note of concern at their reckless attempt of running.

"I had an errand to run. It was just a small family matter," the man answered. He looked about the same age as the woman, but was a complete opposite in his looks: his hair was pitch black, his eyes mischievous and darting all over the place, so long as they didn't catch the intense stare of the all-too-familiar emeralds.

"I thought your family was dead."

The man chuckled at the irony. Yes, his blood family was dead, it was her presumed-to-be dead blood family that he was visiting. "They are, but there are still some things I needed to take care of."

Haruka gave him a strange look before giving up the subject. She hugged Michiru closer as they reached the cherry blossom tree and came to a stop. Sora, Nanami and Michiru watched as Haruka lowered herself to the ground and put a bouquet of while lilies on the grave. Haruka let go of the flowers she brought as her hand unwillingly traced a shape of a single lily that had already been there. Her brows furrowed as she wondered who else but her brought flowers to her parents' grave. Especially these flowers.

Sora watched her trace the stem of the lily and fought to keep himself in check, fought to not tell her that her brother put that flower there just a few days ago, just like he fought not to tell Michiru that Haruka was alive some time in the past. He hated being in that position, hated what the twins did, but couldn't bring himself to step into something that wasn't his place. He came out of his reverie as Haruka got back up and turned around in search of her children. She didn't like to let them out of her sight.

They regrouped and made their way back to the car.

"So," Sora started, hugging his pregnant wife closer, "how do you guys feel about arranged marriages?"

Haruka's head snapped to her left so fast Michiru thought it would break. "Over my dead body."

Both Sora and Nanami laughed at the angry blonde and amused aquanette.

"Don't worry, love, I'm just messing with you," Sora finally gave in. "Besides, our children are already part of the same family, it would be wrong on more than one level."

"I'm glad we are on the same page then." Haruka relaxed back into her half-embrace as Michiru massaged the side of her waist.

"Aren't we always, princess?" Sora felt like jabbing the blonde to avoid his darker thoughts.

"Not when you call me _that_ we're not."

Now they all laughed at her pouting face.

"Well, why? I find that nickname very fitting, princess." Michiru grinned at her lover.

"I'll show you princess when we're alone," Haruka warned through her gritted teeth.

"Sometimes I really am happy that you both are women, because otherwise the world would be full of your offsprings," Nanami mused.

"Look who's talking, the girl who got pregnant on her wedding night. Or was it before? I've always known how naughty you are. Ouch."

Haruka rubbed her shoulder that was slapped by red-faced Nanami.

"I meant it with all the love."

"So did I." Nanami smiled in triumph.

"Ouch." Haruka gulped again as a pair of small hands dug into her leg.

"Up… up." Kin kept tugging at Haruka's pants.

"Okay, okay, you little attention-grabber." She let go of Michiru and picked the little girl up. "Where is your brother?" Haruka looked around, panic entering her features as she failed to locate the other child. She looked at Michiru's failed attempt of hiding a grin and narrowed her eyes.

"Where is he?"

Michiru let the grin splay across her face and turned around, revealing Aoi hiding behind her long summer skirt.

"You little devil."

"You 'itt'e de'wi'." Aoi hid his face back in his mother's skirt.

Haruka helplessly watched as they all broke into fits of laughter. "I'm glad I can provide you with endless entertainment." She scowled at them before her features softened at her daughter's kiss on her cheek.

Michiru cupped the other cheek and placed a soft kiss of her own on Haruka's lips. "It's only because we all love you as much as we do."

Haruka's eyes darkened as she pulled Michiru in a deeper embrace and gave her another kiss, ignoring Nanami and Sora's antics. "I love you too."

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FIN

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The sequel to this story is called IAAU2 and is posted on my page.


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